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THE 



HISTORY 



PENACOOK, N. H., 



ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT IN 1734 
UP TO 1900. 



COMPILED BY 

DAVID ARTHUR BROWN. 



COXCORn, N. II • 

THE KUMFOKb PRE55. 

1902. 






THE LIBRARY 9F 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

APR 2 1903 

^ Copyiight Entry 
cuss c\^ XXc. No. 

^ n ^ -L 2> 

'COPY B. 



Copyright, 1902, 
By D. ARTHUR BROWN. 



TO 

JOHN SULLIVAN BROWN 

(Born 1809), 

surviving member of the firm of ii. h. k j. s. brown, who, with his 

brothers, ventured to begin the manufacturing business in 

1 841, which gave to the village its first great 

impetus to growth and prosperity, this book 

is most respectfully inscribed. 



PREFACE 



The history of the village of Penacook having never been fully 
recorded, the writer has undertaken to bring together such items of 
history as could be gleaned from earlier publications and from inter- 
views with the older citizens. It is not expected that this shall be a 
complete narrative of the early and later days, events and people of 
the village, as the time that can be given to the work and the sources 
of information are both limited ; but it is hoped that this effort may 
preserve some facts not before published. 

In addition to the articles prepared by the writer there are embodied 
in this work several articles written by Hon. John C. Linehan and pub- 
lished in the "History and Souvenir" of Penacook, 1899. Also a 
number of articles in the biographical section have been furnished by 
Colonel Linehan, and it may be said here that his writings on local 
history were the incentive to the present effort, and to whom the writer 
here records his grateful acknowledgment for his assistance. The 
writer also acknowledges his obligations to John S. Brown, Capt. Nath. 
Rolfe,* Asa M. Gage, Hon; John Kimball, Col. Abial Rolfe, Charles 
Abbott,* Geo. Frank Sanborn, Mrs. I. K. Gage,* Miss Harriet Chan- 
dler,* Miss Lucy K. Gage, and to all others who have furnished in- 
formation for this book. 

D. ARTHUR BROWN. 

Penacook, N. H., May 14, 1902. 

* Deceased. 



CONTENTS 



I 



CHAPTER I. 

Location, Extent, and General Features of the Village. 

First Historic Event, at Dustin's Island. 

When Permanently Settled, and by Whom. 

First Mills, When, Where, and by Whom Built. 

First Ferry and Public Landing. 

Bridges over the Merrimack and Contoocook Rivers. 

Ancient Houses. 

CHAPTER IL 
Manufacturing, Corporations, Etc. 
Stores, Storekeepers, Shops. 
Professional Men. 

CHAPTER in. 

Churches. 

Schools, Teachers, Libraries. 
Penacook Academy. 
Hotels and Landlords. 
Post-office and Postmasters. 

CHAPTER IV. 

ToRREXT Engine_ Company. 
Pioneer E>jgine Company. 
Fires. 

CHAPTER V. 

Musical Organizations, Societies, Etc. 

First Baptist Choir. 

First Brass Band. 

Singing-Schools. 

Horace Chase Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons. 

Contoocook Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

The Rebekahs. 

The Union Club. 



viii CONTENTS. 

The Woman's Club. 

Union Soldiers' Aid Society, 

Order of United American Mechanics. 

Knights of Pythias. 

Fisherville Lyceum Association. 

The Philologian Society. 

Temperance and Other Societies. 

The Grange. 

W. I. Brown Post 31, Grand Army of the Republic. 

The Woman's Relief Corps. 

The Sons of Veterans. 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Penacook and Boscawen Water System. 

DusTiN Island Monument. 

Celebrations, Etc. 

Reminiscences. 

Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Military Companies. 

Items from the Diary of William H. Gage, Esq. 

Officers of Ward i, Concord. 

CoNTOocooK River Park. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Penacook in the Civil War. 

Penacook in the Spanish War. 

Fisherville Cornet Band. 

Brown's Band. 

Then and Now ; Fathers of the Hamlet. 

Spring Freshets. 

Accidents and Incidents. 

Penacook Men Honored. 

Accidental Deaths. 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Biographical. 

Map of Penacook, Next Back Cover. 



PENACOOK, N. H. 



CHAPTER I. 

ITS LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 

The village of Penacook, formerly Fishervillc, owes its existence 
largely to the abundant water power of the Contoocook river, on 
which the fall is about one hundred feet within the village limits, 
producing ample power for a large manufacturing community, — 
the fall from the upper dam at the Borough to the Penacook 
dam being thirty-five feet; from the Penacook to the Contoocook 
dam, sixteen feet; from the Contoocook to the lower dam, 
twenty-seven feet; and from the lower dam to the Merrimack, 
twenty-two feet. 

The village is located partly in the city of Concord and partly 
in the town of Boscawen, in the county of Merrimack and state of 
New Hampshire. With the Contoocook river as a central line, the 
village limits extend about one mile along the west bank of the 
Merrimack river, and about one and one half miles westward from 
the Merrimack to the upper falls of the Contoocook river at the 
Borough ; making about one and one half square miles of terri- 
tor\-. This location is about equi-distant from the older villages 
of West Concord on the south and Boscawen Plain on the north. 
The village is divided by the boundary line of Concord and Bos- 
cawen, which runs from the Merrimack river in the same general 
direction as the Contoocook river, and quite near it, but it does not 
follow the curves of the river. Quite a controversy over the loca- 
tion of this boundary line arose in 1836 when the Contoocook mill 
was built, both towns desiring to have the new mill in their own 
territory. Concord based a claim for ownership or jurisdiction of 
the mill site on the southern boundary line of Boscawen as fixed 
by the general court of Massachusetts Bay, May 20, 1733, which 
was thus described : " Beginning at the middle of the mouth of 



2 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

"the Contoocook river where it empties itself into the Merrimack, 
" where it joins the Penny cook Plantation thence running west 
" 15° south adjoining on the Penny cook line four miles to a 
"white pine tree marked Penny cook corner bounds." This line 
would run north of the Contoocook mill and so locate that build- 
ing in Concord. 

The Boscawen people based their claim to the mill on a record 
of the town line, as described June 2, 1797, in a record signed by 
the selectmen of both towns, as follows: "Begin at a stake and 
"stones on the southerly side of the Contoocook river nearly 
"opposite the middle of the main branch where the same empties 
"into the Merrimack being where a forked white pine formerly 
" stood, which is the southeasterly corner of Boscawen, running 
"west 17° and 31' south by needle four miles &c." 

This line would run a little to the south of the mill and so leave 
the building in Boscawen. The controversy was continued about 
four years before a settlement of the matter was made. In 
September, 1837, the selectmen of Concord petitioned the court 
of common pleas to appoint a committee to examine and establish 
the line. The court ordered that John Porter, Thomas D. Merrill, 
and Henr\' B. Chase be a committee to establish a line between 
Boscawen and Concord. It appears to ha\'e been a slow move- 
ment, for it was not until October 9, 1840, that they had a public 
hearing on the case. The hearing was at the old hotel on the 
Boscawen side, then kept by Reuben Johnson. Concord was 
represented by Samuel Fletcher, Esq., and Boscawen b}^ Judge 
George W. Ncsmith and Ichabod Bartlett, Esq. After a full and 
careful examination of the evidence presented, the committee 
affirmed the line of 1797, and so ended the controversy with the 
new Contoocook mill in the town of Boscawen. 

Penacook is on the line of the Boston & Maine Railroad, Con- 
cord division, it being the first station north of Concord, and about 
seven miles from the capitol. The population in 1900 is esti- 
mated at three thousand. The village contains four church build- 
ings and two chapels; three schoolhouscs ; three hotels; twelve 
manufactories, producing goods in the lines of cotton, wool, iron, 
steel, wood, and stone; also the largest flour and corn mills in 
the state ; some fort}' stores and shops of various kinds; five 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 3 

clergymen; five physicians ; two lawyers; and one dentist. The 
village also has one weekly newspaper and several fraternal soci- 
eties and clubs. The village is connected with the capital city by 
a street railway (a trolley line), making half-hourly trips during 
the forenoon and quarter-hour trips in the afternoon, the line 
being extended up to Contoocook River park at the upper falls, 
to which point the cars are run during the summer season. The 
water power, the main spring of commercial activity, has never 
been fully utilized, and there is still room and power for more 
manufacturing establishments. 

The village is amply supplied with pure water by the Penacook 
& Boscawen Water Precinct on the north side of the river, and by 
the Concord Water-Works on the south side. The Penacook 
Electric Light Co. furnishes street lights on both sides of the 
river, as well as for factories and dwelling-houses. The villagfe 
has a good system of sewers and is kept clean and healthy. 

The fire departments have apparatus consisting of one steam 
fire-engine, two chemical engines, two hose wagons, ladders, etc., 
which, together with the fire pumps at the factories and the 
hydrants of the water-works, furnish ample protection against 
destruction of property by fire. There is one hospital located in 
the village. The streets are particularly well shaded by elm and 
maple trees, and the buildings, with few exceptions, are neat and 
attractive. Woodlawn cemetery, on the southern border of the 
village, is a pleasant, well-kept spot. 

FIRST HISTORIC EVENT. 

The first historic event which transpired within the village 
limits was the killing of her Indian captors by Hannah Dustin, on 
the island, at the mouth of the Contoocook river, which now 
bears her name, and on which is a granite monument surmounted 
with a statue of Mrs. Dustin. 

The tragic story of Mrs. Dustin and the Indians has been 
widely known, but it deserves a place in all New Hampshire 
histories, and as it seems particularly appropriate for this work, 
it is here given in the words of an earlier historian : 

"On March 15, 1697, ^ party of twenty Indians made a 
descent on Haverhill, Mass. The first house attacked was that 



4 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

of Thomas Dustiii, who was at work in his field. Hearing the 
war-whoop of the Indians, he ran into the house, and ordered his 
children, seven in number, to fly, Mrs. Dustin was sick, having 
given birth to a child the week previous. Finding it impossible 
to remove his wife and infant, he left them with the nurse, Mrs. 
Mary Neff, mounted his horse, and overtook his children. His 
first thought was to take two or three of them on his horse, and 
leave the others to their fate. But he could make no choice, all 
were equally dear, so he resolved to do what he could to save 
them all. Dismounting from his horse, standing behind the ani- 
mal, or sheltering himself behind a tree, firing with deliberate 
aim, he kept the pursuers at ba}- while the children ran ; then 
springing on his horse, he hastened to overtake his family of little 
ones. Upon reaching them he again dismounted, loaded his gun, 
and when the Indians approached fired on them and then gal- 
loped away — thus defending his children until they reached a 
place of safety. While some of the Indians pursued Mr. Dustin 
and the children, others entered the house, took Mrs. Dustin and 
Mrs. Neff prisoners, dashed out the brains of the infant against 
a tree, and fired the house. Nine other houses were set on fire, 
twenty-seven persons were killed, and eleven besides Mrs. Dustin 
and Mrs. Neff were captured. In the woods there was still much 
snow; and yet, with but one shoe, Mrs. Dustin was driven at a 
quick pace by the savages. Her feet were torn, her footsteps 
marked with blood. Soon her fellow captives began to tire; but 
as soon as they lagged behind, a tomahawk was buried in their 
skulls, the scalping-knife encircled their heads, and their bodies 
were left by the way. The route taken by the Indians was up 
the valley of the Merrimack, to their canoes. It is not known 
w'hcrc the Indians had deposited them ; but the hardships of the 
march were so great, that, before reaching them, all the Haverhill 
captives except Mrs. Dustin and Mrs. Neff had perished. They 
found a boy, Samuel Lannardson of Worcester, who had been 
more than a \'ear in their hands, still a capti\-e. He had acquired 
the Indian language. It is probable that on the third day the 
Indians reached their general rendezvous — the island at the junc- 
tion of the Merrimack and Contoocook ri\-ers. It appears that 
after leaving their captives on the island, the Indians, with the 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 5 

exception of twelve, departed on a second marauding expedition. 
The thought of being carried captive to Canada, of enduring the 
hardships of the march, and of the almost certain fate that would 
await her, aroused all the heroic nature of the woman who had 
seen her child's brains dashed out against a tree. Death would 
be preferable to life. She would strike boldly for life and liberty. 
She laid her plans with deliberation. 'Ask them where they 
strike when they want to kill a person instantly,' said Mrs. Dustin 
to the boy Lannardson. ' Strike 'em here,' said one of the sav- 
ages, placing his finger on his temple. Little did he think that 
his own hatchet would be buried in his own skull by the keen- 
eyed woman who was watching his every movement. Then the 
savage showed the boy how to run a knife around a person's 
head, and how to strip off the scalp; all of which the resolute 
woman noticed. She informs Mrs. Neff and the boy of her plot, 
and stimulates them b\' her heroic courage. Night comes. 
There are two men, three women, and seven children, all asleep. 
No one keeps watch of the captives. There is no danger of their 
attempting to escape. The birch canoes are drawn up under the 
alders. The three captives rise softly. Each seizes a tomahawk. 
Mrs. Dustin and Mrs. Neff stand over the prostrate forms of the 
men. A signal, and the hatchets descend with almost super- 
human strength, crushing through the skulls; then the women 
and children are dispatched, all except two, who escape in the 
darkness. The prisoners — prisoners no longer — gather up the 
provisions, take the guns of the Indians, scuttle all but one canoe, 
and take their departure down the Merrimack. A thought comes 
to the heroic woman. Will their friends believe them when they 
inform them that they have killed the Indians? She will have 
indisputable evidence. A few strokes of the paddles bring them 
back to the island. She runs the scalping-knife around the brows 
of the Indians, takes their scalps, and then starting once more, 
guides the canoe over the rippling waters at Sewall's Falls, then 
floating on calmer waters to Garvin's, steering the bark canoe in 
safety down the rapids, landing and carrying it when they dare 
not trust themselves amid the whirlpools and sunken rocks, reach- 
ing at last her home at Haverhill with her blood)' trophies, to 
the astonishment of her friends." 



6 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

The general court of Massachusetts voted her a present of fifty 
pounds, and many priv^ate citizens also presented her with testi- 
monials of their appreciation of her heroic conduct. 

WHEN SETTLED, AND BY WHOM. 

Concord was first settled in 1726, being at first called Penny 
Cook ; one of the original proprietors of the town, Henry Rolfe, 
acquired land on the south side of the Contoocook extending 
from the Merrimack river to the Borough, but when the first of 
the Rolfe family settled on this land can not be determined. 
Probably some of the sons of the first Henry were the first set- 
tlers of this land, as it is recorded in the history of Concord that 
Benjamin Rolfe came to live on the Rolfe farm in 1758; being 
then but sixteen years of age, it seems probable that he came to 
live with some of the older generation who had settled there 
before that date. 

The first settlers of Boscawen (first called Contoocook) came 
up from Newbury, Mass., in the spring of 1734. One of the first 
party was Stephen Gerrish, who secured land on the intervale on 
the east side of the Merrimack river and settled there, as in 1737 
the proprietors voted " that Stephen Gerrish shall have six pounds 
paid him by the proprietors for his building a ferry boat and 
keeping said boat in good repair, and giving due and constant 
attendance to ye proprietors to ferry themselves and their crea- 
tures over Merrimack, &c." The ferry was located at the bend of 
the Merrimack, just above the mouth of the Contoocook river, 
that being the same location as the present bridge. 

Another of the first party of Boscawen settlers was William 
Dagodan, and tradition affirms that he built a cabin at the foot of 
what is now called Dagody or Dickeatty hill. John Chandler 
was one of the proprietors of Boscawen, though not one of the 
first party of settlers. He was grandfather of the John Chandler 
who built the old tavern, and secured the land on the Boscawen 
side of the river from the Merrimack back to the vicinity of 
Hardy's brook. His son John was probably a settler on this land 
soon after 1734. 

At the Borough end of the village the first white settler was 
Joseph Walker, who built a log hut near the present residence of 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 7 

George E. Flanders about 1750. He remained but a short time, 
as the Indians were not desirable neighbors. The next settler in 
that part of the village was Richard Elliott, who arrived about 
1760, and came to stay. Two of his brothers, Jonathan and Ben- 
jamin, came in 1768, and Joseph Elliott came in 1778. These 
families all came from Newton, and their descendants were the 
principal families at the Borough for three generations. 

Mrs. Lydia Elliott, wife of Joseph Elliott who came to settle at 
the Borough in 1778, had the distinction of being the oldest 
person that ever lived in this vicinity. She was born January 30, 
1753, and died June 24, 1856. For many years the family lived 
in a log house. On the hundredth anniversary of her birth a 
religious service was held at the house of her son, David Elliott, 
with whom she resided. The exercises were conducted by Rev. 
Asa Tenney of West Concord, and Rev. Dr. Bouton of Concord ; 
many of the prominent citizens of Concord were present, as well 
as many neighbors. Mrs. Elliott was in good health at the date of 
this meeting. On the morning of that day she rose in season to 
breakfast with the family, dressed herself without assistance, and 
made the bed in which she slept. She was at that time quite deaf, 
yet possessed her bodily and mental faculties in a remarkable 
degree. In earlier years she often walked to church at Concord, 
many times carrying an infant in her arms. She said that she 
never had a physician in her life except at confinement with her 
children ; never took physic, or an emetic, or had a tooth drawn, 
or was bled. Mrs. Elliott had eleven children, all of whom reached 
mature years, and ten were married. Her grandchildren, at the 
hundredth anniversary, numbered seventy; her great-grandchil- 
dren one hundred, and of the fifth generation there were at least 
eight at that date. She was truly a very remarkable woman. 

WHEN THE FIRST MILLS WERE BUILT, AND BY WHOM. 

The first mill built within the village limits was a sawmill built 
by Richard Elliott about 1760, and was located on the south side 
of the outlet at the Borough, near the present residence of Frank 
Davis. Elliott was, previous to this, one of Major Rogers's 
Rangers, in the French and Indian war, and while on a scouting 
expedition in this vicinity discovered the " outlet," a small stream 



8 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

branching off from the Contoocook river at the head of the falls, 
and uniting again about a mile below, this stream being evidently 
valuable for mill privileges. He came here to utilize the water 
power soon after the close of the war. He built a dam a few 
rods below the present bridge, but not quite so far down stream 
as the Holden dam. The amount of water running in the outlet 
was then much less than at present, as there was no dam on the 
main river to turn the water down the outlet. In the dry season 
of one summer, one of the Walker family of Concord wanted a 
barn frame sawed at this mill, but as there was not enough water 
running to saw the frame, a party of men collected a quantit}' of 
stones from the adjoining land and placed them in the main Con- 
toocook river, just below the head of the outlet, which raised the 
water, and gave them power to saw the frame. This, undoubtedly, 
was the very first attempt to build a dam on the Contoocook river. 
This first mill site always had the^;'5/ right to the zvatcr of the 
outlet, which right has continued to the present day, and is now 
owned b}- the Concord Manufacturing Company, whose mills are 
on the opposite side of the outlet. This first mill was owned in a 
later generation by the Morrill Brothers, and in the last )'ears of 
its existence by Jere Fowler. 

In 1829 Benjamin Morrill, father of Mrs. George \V. Abbott 
and of Mrs. John B. Dodge, owned this old sawmill, or a part of 
it, and the farm on which it was located, as an old deed now in 
the possession of Mrs. Dodge shows that he sold a one-third inter- 
est in the mill and farm of one hundred and thirty acres to Hiram 
Simpson for the sum of six hundred and seventy-five dollars. 

The first grist-mill in the village limits was built in 1789 by 
Abel Baker, on the outlet at the Borough, probabl}- a little above 
the site of the present sawmill. To this first grist-mill people 
came from all directions, bringing their corn on their shoulders or 
on liorseback, as there were then no roads between the settlements 
and wagons were unknown. 

Abel Baker, otherwise known as Judge Baker, also built a saw- 
mill near his grist-mill, soon afterwards, and did a considerable 
amount of business in that line when the water was high in the 
Contoocook river. At the lower falls of the Contoocook river, 
Jeremiah Chandler built the first grist-mill about the \-car 1790. 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 9 

It was located on the land between the Harris woolen mill and the 
river dam. The mill was operated b}- an overshot wheel, built out- 
side of the mill, the water being carried to the wheel in a flume or 
penstock from the river above the falls. Chandler also built the 
first sawmill at the lower falls, near his grist-mill, and there begun 
a lumber business which in later years, in the hands of the Gage 
famil}-, grew to large proportions. 

Another of the first mills which marked the beginning of the 
woolen" manufacturing industry in the village was the carding and 
cloth finishing mill, built b\' Richard Kimball and Jeremiah 
Abbott somewhere about the year 1800. To this mill the 
farmers brought their wool, which was carded into rolls; the 
rolls were returned to the farmhouses, where the women of the 
families spun the rolls into }'arn, and wove the yarn into cloth on 
hand looms ; the cloth was then taken to the mill again, and was 
there put through the process of fulling and finishing, making it 
read}' for use in clothing for the families. This mill was located 
on the site of the present Harris mill, so that the woolen business 
has been conducted on the same spot for just about one hundred 
years. The proprietors of this mill, Kimball & Abbott, together 
with Reuben Johnson, landlord of the old tavern, proposed to run 
the rapids of the Contoocook river in a small boat from the Bor- 
ough to the Merrimack river, but, at the appointed time for the 
trip, Johnson declined to go. Kimball and Abbott persisted in 
the attempt, and were both drowned. This occurred on April 23, 
18 1 2. Their bodies were recovered at the old bridge, just north 
of the axle works, and the funeral was held at the house of 
Nathan Chandler, next cast of the old tavern, where Abbott had 
been boarding, but the bodies were not taken into the house. 

The potash works was another of the early mills of the village. 
This was located near the foot of the hill, just east of the old 
tavern, and was built b}' John Chandler. This gave the name 
" Potash Eddy " to the edd}- in the river in front of the residence 
of George Neller, and this eddy was a favorite place " to go in 
swimming" by the bo}-s as late as 1850. 

In 1825 the first sawmill on the south side of the river at the 
lower falls was built for Henry Rolfe, the location being where the 
table factory now stands. This mill was built by a noted mill- 



lO HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

Wright, Benjamin Kimball, father of John and Benjamin A. Kim- 
ball of Concord, and was for two generations quite an important 
factor in the business life of the village. 

The first attempt to use the water power of the falls, where the 
Penacook dam is now located, was made in 1824, by George D. 
Varney of Dover, who bought up a large section of land on both 
sides of the river, built a dam, and prepared a frame for a sawmill, 
but proceeded no further with the enterprise, as he became finan- 
cially embarrassed. The frame of the sawmill was moved up to 
the Borough and set up in 1831, on the north side of the outlet, 
by a Captain Stevens of Manchester, at about the location now 
occupied by the west end of the Holdcn woolen mill. 

The old Borough road crossed the outlet just above this mill 
and the older mill, on the opposite side of the stream. In 1838 
Capt. Jere Fowler built a match factory just across the road from 
the oldest sawmill, and close beside the bridge over the outlet, 
and close to the end of the old dam, which furnished water, also, 
for the two sawmills. The dam was washed away by the freshet 
of 1852, and the match factory was soon after moved over to the 
village by Francis Hoit, and used for a stable ; it now stands, end 
to the road, on Main street, next south of the Central house. 
The Stevens' sawmill on the north side of the outlet was run some 
years by George F. Sanborn, later was used by a Mr. Cilley as an 
excelsior factory, and was destroyed by fire in 1865. 

In 183 1 Benjamin Kimball purchased the land and water power 
in the centre of the village, formerly owned by George D. Varney, 
and built the dam and the brick grist-mill that stands beside the 
old stone mill, and just south of the town line. For this mill 
Mr. Kimball obtained the stones previously used in the old 
Chandler grist-mill at the lower falls, the Chandler mill having 
fallen into disuse before that date. This brick grist-mill has been 
in continuous service to the present date, a term of sixty-nine 
years. 

FIRST FERRY AND PUBLIC LANDING. 

When this village was first settled there were, of course, no 
bridges over the Merrimack or Contoocook rivers, and it was soon 
found necessary to establish ferries. The first was established in 



LOCATION, EXTENT, xVND GENERAL FEATURES. I I 

1737 by the town of Boscawcn, on the Merrimack river near the 
site of the present iron bridge, and Stephen Gerrish, the first 
settler on the intervale on the east side of the river, was the first 
ferryman. Later, towards the close of that century, the ferry at 
this village was owned by a private corporation known as Blan- 
chard's Ferry, and was doing a large and profitable business as 
late as 1800. The landing on the west side of the river was just 
above the freight station, and near the lower railroad bridge. All 
travel from the south was here carried across to Boscawen and to 
Canterbury for many years. This ferry continued in business until 
the first bridge was built across the Merrimack, at which time the 
stockholders of the bridge bought a controlling interest in the 
ferry, and the bridge corporation made a suitable contract with 
the remaining shareholders of Blanchard's Ferry to compensate 
them for loss of business by reason of opening the bridge for 
public travel. 

PUBLIC LANDING. 

In the early days of the present century the land now occupied 
by the railroad station buildings, and extending from the Merri- 
mack river west to the street running parallel to the tracks, was a 
public landing, and was used by the lumbermen for depositing 
logs and sawed lumber before putting it into the river to be floated 
down to market. Lumber was here made up into rafts of suitable 
size to be passed through the locks of the Middlesex canal, and 
so delivered to the Boston market. This lumber business was 
quite extensive about 1825, and was the leading industry of the 
village, the business being carried on by the Rolfe and Gage fami- 
lies at the lower falls, and by the Elliott and Morrill families at 
the Borough. Lumber was also brought to this landing from 
Hopkinton and Warner, being run down the Contoocook river as 
far as the upper falls at the Borough, and then taken out of the 
river and hauled overland down to the public landing, the Mer- 
rimack river at that time being the only available way for trans- 
porting lumber to the markets in Boston and the other cities of 
the coast. 



12 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

BRIDGES OVER THE MERRIMACK RIVER. 

The first bridge over the Merrimack river, at the location of the 
present steel bridge, was built in i8o2-'03, and was named 
" Boscawen Bridge." It was built and owned by a corporation, 
chartered by act of legislature June lo, 1802. The organization 
of the company was effected in 1801, and about the first business 
was the appointment of a committee to purchase a controlling 
interest in the Blanchard Ferry, which was then doing a lucrative 
business on that location ; this purchase was intended to clear 
away all opposition to the building of the bridge. Blanchard's 
Ferry property was held in eighteen shares, and the Bridge Com- 
pany purchased ten shares ; the deed conveyed the property to 
Isaac Chandler, Timothy Dix, Jr., Stephen Ambrose, and their 
associates, under date of December 25, 1801. The act of incorpo- 
ration gave the proprietors of Boscawen bridge the right to erect 
and maintain a bridge and toll house, and to collect tolls accord- 
ing to a schedule of prices named in the charter. 

The capital of the Bridge Company was made up of one 
hundred shares, and the number of shareholders at the date of 
organization was seventy-eight, so that ver\- few of the members 
owned more than one share. 

Maj. Enoch Gcrrish, Capt. Isaac Chandler, and Mr. Chandler 
Lovejoy were appointed as a committee to prepare the plans and 
specifications for the bridge and toll house. The contract for 
building the bridge was awarded to Capt. Nathaniel Eastman, 
as he was the lowest bidder, at $2,750. The plan provided 
for a bridge twenty feet wide, built on five post piers, and abut- 
ments at each end; the bridge to be four feet above high water 
mark of the great freshet of 1785. 

The location of the toll house was a matter of controversy, and 
was decided by the gift of sufficient land and five dollars in 
money by Capt. Isaac Chandler, which fixed the location on the 
west side of the river near the end of the bridge. The original 
purchase of ten shares of the Blanchard Ferry did not appear to 
close out all opposition from that quarter. The ferry share- 
holders probably convinced the Bridge Compan\^ that the ferry 
property could not be ruined b\- the erection of a bridge without 
creating a valid claim iov damages in favor of the ferry share- 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 1 3 

holders, for the Bridge Company in May, 1802, appointed a com- 
mittee consisting of Samuel Gerrish, Maj. Jonathan Hale, and 
Gen. Michael McClary to fix a just compensation for the use of 
the ferry for three years from January i, 1803 ; also a compensa- 
tion for the holders of the remaining eight shares of the ferry 
stock, from January i, 1806, yearly, so long as the bridge shall 
be maintained across the ferry. 

This Boscawen bridge was opened for travel early in 1803, 
and remained in use over thirty years. Cof^n's history of Bos- 
cawen states that it was carried away by high water in the winter 
of 1835, but the clerk of the Bridge Company, Hon. William H. 
Gage, recorded the date as January, 1839; the latter date being 
confirmed by George Frank Sanborn and Hon. John Kimball, 
both of whom saw the bridge when it was carried away. Mr. 
Kimball states that a citizen of Canterbury came over the bridge 
in the morning, and when ready to return the bridge was gone ; 
he then drove down to Sewall's Falls, and had but just crossed 
that bridge when it was also carried away. 

After the destruction of the Boscawen bridge in 1839, a ferry 
was again established. This was called a chain ferry; a chain 
being stretched across the river and fastened at each shore, the 
chain being passed over rolls on one side of the boat, and the 
ferryman by vigorous pulling on the chain moved the boat from 
shore to shore. This ferry remained in use until 1857 when a new 
covered wooden bridge was built on stone piers and abutments 
at the old location, and was known as the Canterbury bridge. 

This bridge withstood the attacks of storm and floods for forty 
years; and was finally swept away by high water and floating ice 
in the spring of 1896 (March 2). When the flood of water 
abated, the old style chain ferry once more appeared and con- 
veyed passengers safely across the historic stream until the 
present steel bridge was built in 1898. This last bridge being 
built considerably higher above the river than either of its prede- 
cessors, it is confidently expected that floods will never carry it 
away. 

15RIDGES OVER THE CONTOOCOOK RIVER. 

In 1765 the Province road was laid out by royal authority 
(John Wcntworth, governor), through the province of New 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 1 5 

Hampshire, from Portsmouth to No. 4 or Charlcstown, on the 
Connecticut riv^er; and on this road, which passed through 
Penacook, a bridge was built over the Contoocook river, by the 
town of Boscawen, at a point near the works of the Concord Axle 
company. The foundation for the abutment on the south side 
can still be seen at times of low water. The northern end of this 
bridge landed on the high ledge which rises almost vertically 
from the water some twenty-five or thirty feet in height ; which 
seem to indicate that the north end was considerably higher 
than the south end. This bridge was built by John Flanders and 
Capt. Henry Lovejoy. The writer can find no record of the 
destruction of this bridge, and it may have stood until 1805, when 
a new bridge was built on the same location by the towns of 
Boscawen and Concord, both sharing the expense although the 
location was entirely in the town of Boscawen. This union 
bridge remained in use for about twenty years, and was swept 
away by high water in 1824. 

The next bridge to replace that was built at the location of the 
present steel bridge in the center of the village; this location 
being all in the town of Concord the Boscawen people declined 
to share the expense. This location of the bridge called for 
changing the roadway which formerly passed through the }'ards 
of the Concord Axle works, and making the new road from the 
Washington House to the Penacook House nearly a straight line. 
This bridge, built in 1825, was erected on two granite piers, and 
granite abutments at each end ; this was an open bridge built 
without any overhead frame or covering. This old red bridge 
did good service for an increasing amount of travel until 1848 or 
1849, when it was replaced by the covered bridge, built on the 
same piers, by a Mr. Paddleford, a noted bridge builder. The 
covered bridge was never particularly ornamental, and always 
dark and unpleasant at night; it was found useful as a horse shed 
in stormy weather, but was never much liked by the citizens. It 
remained in service, however, until 1874, when it was replaced by 
the first iron bridge, built under the direction of Hon. John Kim- 
ball, mayor of Concord. This marked a long step in advance, 
and at the opening of the bridge there was a large and enthu- 
siastic gathering of citizens and visitors from neighboring towns, 




:^ 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 1/ 

the occasion being observed as a holiday by the entire com- 
munity. There was a public meeting in Exchange hall, with 
speeches by the mayor and other distinguished persons present. 
The iron bridge having become somewhat worn by twenty-five 
years' hard service, it was replaced by the new steel bridge which 
was finished in November, 1898, but no public ceremonies marked 
its opening for public travel. 

About one quarter of a mile below the steel bridge at Main 
street there were built, about the year 1850, two wooden covered 
bridges over the Contoocook river; two, because of an island 
in the river which divided the river into two branches. These 
bridges were commonly called " twin bridges," being much the 
same size and built in the same st}-le, but the one connected with 
the south bank of the river belonged to Concord, while the other 
belonged to the town of Boscawen ; the town line running across 
the island between the bridges. 

The bridge on the Boscawen side proved to be the more 
durable, as it is still standing. The one on the Concord side was 
taken down in 1899, and replaced by a portion of the iron bridge 
which formerly was at Main street. The first bridges over the 
outlet at the Borough, at the present locations, were built in 
1846, at the time when Washington street was laid out. Those 
bridges were carried away by the flood in 1852, and the present 
covered bridge, near the residence of George Frank Sanborn, 
was built in the following season by Button Woods. The lower 
bridge, near the residence of Henry Morrill, was rebuilt in 1897, 
about the time when the street railway was extended to the Con- 
toocook River park. 

Previous to 1846 there was a bridge over the outlet at a point 
opposite the road leading south past the Fowler homestead. 
The date of the building of that old bridge is not known, but it 
was probably there before 1800, it being near the first sawmill 
built in 1760. 

ANCIENT HOUSES. 

There are three houses now standing, and occupied as dwell- 
ings, each of which is called b}- some the oldest house in the 
village. 

3 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 19 

First, the Old Tavern, now called the Penacook House, which 
is known to have been built in 1787 by John Chandler, and 
which is mentioned more at length elsewhere in this history. 

Second, the one-story cottage standing a few rods east of the 
Washington House stable, now owned by John Chadwick, Esq., 
and rented as a tenement. This was an old house in 1830, but 
no definite information as to the date of building is now obtain- 
able. Probably it dates back to the later years of the eighteenth 
century. It was occupied as early as 1830 by Winthrop Elliott, 
who did the shoemaking for the neighborhood for a whole 
<ieneration. 




f 



The Old Rolfe House, 177-I.. 

Third, the one-stor}' cottage occupied for many \-ears by Col. 
Abial Rolfe, and now standing near the Nathaniel Rolfe barn 
and occupied as a tenement. This house was built by the 
grandfather of Nathaniel and Col. Abial Rolfe about the }'ear 
1774, and has been in the possession of the Rolfe family ever 
since — about one hundred and twenty-five years. Three genera- 
tions of the Rolfes were born in this house, which is still in a 
fair state of preservation and liable to last for two or three gen- 



20 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

erations more. This house holds the record as the " oldest 
house " in the village. 

Another of the old houses is the one standing next west of the 
Episcopal church, and owned by the Chadvvick sisters. The 
frame of that house formerly stood on the corner now occupied 
by the Washington House. When the old house was torn down 
a certain ]\Ir. Gilchrist purchased the frame and old material and 
carted it down to the lot now occupied, in November, 1846. He 
put in the cellar that same fall, and in the spring of 1847 put up 
the house. How long that house stood on the corner of Main 
street and Washington square cannot now be ascertained, but 
the frame is probably one hundred years old. Other authori- 
ties claim that this building was moved into the village from Bos- 
cawen or Salisbury. 

The old Chandler house, now occupied by E. L. Davis, was 
built by a Mr. Eaton about 1800. The Timothy Rolfe house, 
now occupied by John R. Hill, was built in 181 5, and the 
Nathaniel Rolfe house, now occupied by Abial W. Rolfe, was 
built in 1836. 

On the Boscawen side of the river the house now owned by 
Asa M. Gage, was built by Isaac Chandler, a brother of John 
Chandler, the landlord, but whether it was built before or after 
the Tavern cannot now be ascertained. The present owner is 
confident that it has been built over one hundred years, and the 
probabilities are that it was erected at about the same date as the 
old Tavern. It was, when occupied by Isaac Chandler, almost a 
public house, as the proprietor was a prominent man in business 
affairs, and many public and corporation meetings were held 
there. Mr. Chandler had no children, and the old homestead 
passed into the hands of William H. Gage, father of Asa M.,, 
about 1825, who added the ell part, and built the barns now 
standing. The frame of the front part of this house is of oak 
timber, still sound and strong, apparentl}' good for another 
hundred }'ears' service. Another of the Chandler brothers, 
Jeremiah, had a house where the present Chandler Gage house 
stands, which was also built in the last century. It was taken 
down about 1845 to make room for the present dwelling. It was 
occupied for a generation by Richard Gage, father of Chandler 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 



21 



Gage, who came to the village about 1803. He married a 
daughter of John Chandler in 1805, and his nine children were 
born there. 

The Plummer house next east of the old Tavern was built by 
Nathan Chandler, son of John Chandler, landlord, in 1806, and 
was owned by him until 1 829, when he moved down to the house 
now owned by E. L. Davis, having sold the Plummer house to 
George D. Varney, who at that time bought up the land and 
water power in the center part of the village. Varney owned it 




The Old Plummer or Chandler House. 

but a short time, and it then passed into the possession of the 
United States bank at Portsmouth, by which corporation it was 
sold to Benjamin Kimball in 1830 or 1831. Hon. Benjamin A. 
Kimball of Concord was born in this house in 1S33. 

John Chandler, the landlord, moved into this old house in 
1 8 18, after giving up the Tavern business to his son-in-law, 
Reuben Johnson. Some other families who have occupied this 
house are those of Luther Gage, Joseph Gerrish, Jeremiah Kim- 
ball, Moody Kimball, John Ellsworth, A. \V. Quimby, Abner B. 
Winn, Isaac K. Gage, Nehemiah Butler, Almon A. Harris, and 



2 2 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

the Plummer family. The Luther Gage house, opposite the 
Pkimmer house, was built by Abial Chandler in 1S49, to replace 
the old Elliott house which stood on the same location. The 
Elliott house was built in the last years of the last century by 
Miss Louis Elliott, seamstress, who made clothes for both men 
and women, going from house to house to do the work. She 
sold the place to Leonard Morrison, who was living there in 1840. 
Morrison sold it to Abial Chandler, who occupied it for a few 
years and then moved to Lawrence, Mass. 

There was also an old house owned by Benjamin Elliott, father 
of the late Alfred Elliott, in the early years of the present cen- 
tury, which stood on the site of the present Charles M. Rolfe 
house. That house was built before 1800, and torn down to 
make room for the present dwelling which was built by Calvin 
Gage in 1848. 

Still another of the old houses in that section of the village was 
a one-story cottage located just opposite the saw shop. This 
was occupied for several years by William H. Gage, and his son 
Asa M. was born there. That house was also torn down to make 
room for a larger dwelling before 1850. 

The one-story cottage of two tenements still standing on Com- 
mercial street just at the top of the hill above the Harris mill, 
was built about 1820 by Timothy Abbott, father of Charles 
Abbott, the celebrated drummer, and was occupied by father and 
son about fifty years. 

North of the hotel on the Boscawen side the oldest house is 
probably the John Johnson house on Queen street, occupied in 
later years by William Duckworth. This house was built before 
1800. At about the same date Obcdiah Johnson, brother of 
John, built a cottage on Main street a little north of Queen street. 
Both of these Johnson houses are still standing. 

The Samuel Ellsworth house, now owned b\' William C. 
Towne, was moved from Canterbury early one spring about 1830, 
and was an old house then. It was drawn across the Merrimack 
river on the ice by ox teams, driven by Asa M. Gage, and landed 
none too soon, as the ice broke up and went out that same night. 
The house was drawn to its present location, which was then the 
southwest corner of William H. Gage's farm. 



LOCATION, EXTENT, AND GENERAL FEATURES. 23 

In those days buildings were moved by the neighbors, who 
furnished the ox teams and did the work without pay, but 
refreshments were furnished by the house owners. 

The house next south was built by John Ellsworth, a brother 
of Samuel, about 1840. 

The Samuel R. Mann house was built in 1830, and first occu- 
pied by Calvin Gage. In 1842 H. H. and J. S. Brown moved in, 
and remained until the houses were built on " Brown's hill " in 
1844. The two-tenement house next north was built by Samuel 
Martin in 1836. 

The original mill house at the foot of Brown's hill was built 
by Benjamin Kimball in 1 831, as a residence for the grist miller. 

The earliest houses in the Borough district are nearly all gone. 
One of the oldest now standing is the Marshall Baker house, now 
occupied by Cyrus Savory, a son-in-law of Mr. Baker. There 
was a very old Elliott house standing on the George E. Flanders 
place until 1886, which was built before 1800, and occupied by 
three brothers for more than half a century. Several of the older 
houses of the Elliott family were located at or near the Hollow, 
south of the Jere Fowler place, but only one or two of them are 
now standing. 

There was a two-story house standing on the corner now occu- 
pied by the Washington House, which was last occupied by one 
of the Elliott families, and in earlier years by John Sawyer, 
William H. Gage, and others. It was used for meetings and 
religious services considerably before it was torn down to make 
room for the Washington House, which was built by John 
Sawyer and Joseph Eastman of West Concord in 1847. 

The Lyman K. Hall house is an old house rebuilt. It was 
formerly a hotel in the town of Warner, and while standing there 
had General Lafayette as a guest, while on his journey from Con- 
cord to Windsor, Vt., in June, 1825. The building was taken 
down and carted to Penacook where it was rebuilt by James 
Connor, the first occupant at the new location being John C. 
Morrison. 



CHAPTER II. 

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, STORES, SHOPS, ETC. 

After the Jirst mills mentioned in Chapter I, the next increase 
in manufacturing was on the lower water privilege, on Eel street, 
now Commercial street. A second sawmill was built about 1820, 
on the site of the present corn mill of Stratton & Co. This mill 
was owned by three parties : William and Richard Gage owned 
one half, Job and Timothy Abbott owned one quarter, and John 
Eastman of East Concord owned the fourth quarter. It was ope- 
rated in turn by the owners as follows : The Gages run the mill 
two weeks, then the Abbotts had it one week, followed by East- 
man, who had it for one week. 

It would seem possible that the logs, or the lumber, or the 
profits of this three-jointed concern might have become mixed, 
but probably Wm. H. Gage, or "Squire Bill Gage" as he was 
called, kept everything in proper order. 

Wm. H. and Richard Gage did a large business in ship timber, 
— oak frames, oak planking, and pine masts, which the}' marketed 
at Boston and Newbur}-port — rafting the lumber down the Merri- 
mack river and through the Middlesex canal. 

After they retired from business at the mill the firm of Gerrish, 
Gage & Co. was formed, composed of Joseph Gerrish and two 
sons of Richard Gage, about 1849, ^'"i*^ carried on the business 
for a few years. Gerrish retired soon after 1850, and C. and J. C. 
Gage remained and conducted the business for about thirty years, 
doing quite an extensive business here, and for a few years they 
also operated a sawmill at Ottawa, Canada. The last firm who 
operated this sawmill was C. M. & A. W. Rolfe, who used it for 
some few years to get out lumber for their sash and door shop. 
In 1883 the mill was taken b}' the flour-mill people, and remod- 
eled for a corn-grinding mill, putting in the latest improved 
machinery and fitting it up complete for doing an extensive busi- 
ness in that line. 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 25 

In 1 83 1 Wm. H. Gage built a new carding and clothing mill 
on the site of the first Kimball & Abbott mill, and did a consid- 
erable business for some ten to fifteen years. This mill had a few- 
looms in addition to the carding machines, and manufactured 
some cloth of " all wool and a }^ard wide." That mill building 
is still standing, being now the office and storehouse of the Dustin 
Island Woolen Mills. 

A brick blacksmith shop was built by Warren Johnson in 1825, 
which remained in use for seventy-three years, until 1898, when 
it was taken down and the present stone-polishing shop of Ander- 
son & Fox was built on the same location. The old brick shop 
was notable as being the place where the first wagon axles were 
made in the village, the beginning of a business which has since 
grown to large proportions, and which has, more than an}' other 
business, made this village known throughout the country. The 
first trip hammer for forging axles was built in the brick shop by 
Warren Johnson in 1835, ^^^'^^ soon after he purchased a lathe for 
turning and finishing the axles. He was succeeded in the axle 
business by Hiram Gage, Gage & Lang, and by B. F. Gage, who 
was the last axle maker in that locality, his business and machin- 
ery being sold to D. Arthur Brown & Co. in 1865, which firm 
was in the same business at the site of the present Concord Axle 
Works. In 1852 Ephraim Eaton began the manufacture of 
anvils in the old brick shop, but remained there only a short 
time. His anvils were cast elsewhere, but steel plated, finished, 
and hardened at this shop. The late Dea. T. O. Wilson was 
another occupant of tlie brick shop for several years, manufactur- 
ing castors, stool screws, etc., and Thop. Blake was associated 
with him a part of the time. 

Just above the brick shop there was erected in 1846 a stone shop, 
for the manufacture of axes and hatchets by Adams & Rowell, who 
were probably the first in that line of business in the state. The\- 
remained there but one or two }'ears, and then the building was 
converted into a saw factory, and has been used for that business 
until the present date. The first firm in the saw business was 
Leavitt & McDaniel, who were followed by Porter & Rolfe, hard- 
ware dealers at Concord, predecessors of Humphrey-Dodge Co. ; 
next by Gage, Hubbard & Co., for a short period, and then the 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 2 7 

firm of Gage, Porter & Co. took up this saw business and con- 
tinued for about thirty years, Isaac K. Gage, Esq., being the 
managing partner. 

In 1882 this business was sold to J. E. Harden and George S. 
Locke, who continued the business for five years under the name 
of Fisherville Saw Co. Mr. Marden retired in 1887, and Mr, 
Locke has since remained as sole proprietor, under the same 
name, and managed the business very successfully. 

Next above the stone saw shop a long wooden building was 
erected about 1847, and first used by B. F. Caldwell as a cabinet 
shop, he occupying the main floor, and the basement was occu- 
pied by Henry H. Ayer for the manufacture of bed and furniture 
castors. This basement was occupied later by J. B. Rand, who 
manufactured castors and stool screws. Mr. Caldwell sold out 
his cabinet shop in 1850 to Robinson & Haselton, who carried on 
the business there about ten years, and then sold the machinery 
to the Gages. Robinson and Haselton both went West in 1865, 
to Hastings, Minn., where Robinson is still living. Haselton died 
in 1900. This wood shop was later occupied by Hiram Fisher 
for the manufacture of axe handles, etc., for a number of years. 
C. M. «& A. W. Rolfe took this shop after 1880 for the manufac- 
ture of sash and doors. It was lastly used for a granite-polishing 
shop by John Swenson and others. It was taken down in 1899 
and a new building erected for the same business. 

In 1847 the first part of the present Dustin Island Woolen 
Mills (the part built of stone) was erected by Dea. Almon Harris, 
who came from Nelson, N. H., and began the manufacture of 
woolen cloth on the site of the old carding mill, which business 
has been largely increased by additions to the building and 
machinery, and continued successfully to the present day by his 
sons and grandsons. In 1894 this business was incorporated 
under the name of Dustin Island Woolen IMills, its location being 
but a short distance from, and in full view of, the famous Dustin 
island. Robert L. Harris is the present superintendent, and 
Almon G. Harris is the treasurer. These managers are enter- 
prising business men, and are keeping their mill well supplied 
with new and improved machinery. The number of hands 
employed at present is eighty. 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 29 

The flour mill at the lower end of Commercial street, and near 
the Gage sawmill, was built in 1857 t>y John H. Pearson & Co., 
of Concord, who then began a business which has been growing 
in amount and value to the present day. The ownership of this 
mill has changed several times, first to Barron, Dodge & Co., then 
to Whitcher & Stratton, next to Stratton, Merrill & Co., and lastly 
to Stratton & Co. ; but the quality of the product has always 
been kept up to the highest standard, and this mill is to-day the 
largest and best flour mill in New England. The office and sales- 
rooms of the firm are at Concord. The daily production of the 
mills is three hundred barrels of flour and five hundred bushels of 
corn nieal, which is marketed in New England. This firm has 
also a large barrel factory and storehouse located near the main 
line of the Boston & Maine Railroad. 

On the south side of the river at the lower falls the ne.xt branch 
of manufacturing, after the sawmill mentioned in Chapter I, was 
the planing mill of Henry Rolfc & Sons, Nathaniel, Timothy, and 
Abial, built in 1837, ^^^^ the sash and door shop of Harvey 
& Whidden, which was built about the same time. In both of 
these shops the business of match-making was carried on previous 
to 1840. About 1850 the Rolfe Brothers added to their mill a 
box shop, and for several years manufactured a considerable 
quantity of boxes for use in the shoe and dry goods business. 
In 1864 William Blanchard of Boston purchased the Rolfc 
mill property, took down the old sawmill, and erected a commo- 
dious factory for the manufacture of excelsior, and was succeeded 
in that business by the late Isaac C. Boyce. 

In 1888 this property was purchased by J. E. Symonds & Co., 
table manufacturers, who enlarged the buildings, and installed 
a steam plant to furnish power during seasons of low water. This 
firm, which began business in 1876, was composed of Joseph E, 
Symonds, who had been manufacturing tables for three years at 
Concord, and George W. Abbott, formerly a merchant and trav- 
eling salesman, Mr. Symonds being the superintendent of the 
shop, and Mr. Abbott attending to the buying of material and sale 
of the goods. This has been one of the most successful business 
enterprises of the village. It is now a corporation, styled The 
J. E. Symonds Table Company, J. E. Symonds being president. 



30 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 




J. I-.. bv.MOXDs Table Co/s Factokv, 



and Arthur C. Stewart treasurer. The number of workmen is 
forty, and the specialty of manufacture is dining-tablcs, of which 
there is made a large variety of styles. 

In i860 James Crowther built a two-stor}' frame shop, for 
woodworking business, on Depot street, where he manufactured 
doors, etc., for a few years. That building is now a part of the 
Rolfe Sash and Door factory. C. M. & A. W. Rolfe began 
business in the old Rolfe shops, succeeding the firm of H. Rolfe 
& Sons. They moved over to the shop on Commercial street the 
same year, and remained there on the north side until 1880, when 
they returned to the Concord side of the river, into the neighbor- 
hood of the original Rolfe shops where this line of business was 
begun by the grandfather of the present proprietors. Taking the 
Crowther shop for a beginning, they have added more buildings 
from year to year as their business has increased in volume until 
now they have quite extensive works, employing fifty or more 
hands. The members of this firm are among the most enterpris- 



32 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



ing and industrious of the business men of the village, and well 
maintain the honor of the old family name. In addition to their 
shops at the lower falls, which, by the way, are run partly by 
water power and partly by steam, they operate a sawmill at the 
Borough, where they get out lumber to be manufactured into sash 
and doors at their lower shops, and at the sawmill they manu- 
facture a large amount of cases for the dry goods trade. 




CoNTOocooK Mill. 1836. 



In the central part of the village, the next movement in the line 
of manufacturing, after the erection of the grist-mill mentioned in 
Chapter I, was the purchase of the land and water power from 
the lower falls up to the Borough rapids by the Contoocook 
Manufacturing & Mechanic Company in 1835. This company 
immediately began building the Contoocook mill, which was com- 
pleted in 1836. This mill was occupied in part for a few years 
by Messinger & Winn, who manufactured a coarse cloth, which 
was marketed at the South to make up clothing for the slaves. 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. t,^ 

Previous to 1840 a small part of this mill was used for the 
manufacture of matches. In 1841 this Contoocook mill was 
leased to H. H. & J. S. Brown, who had previously been in the 
cotton manufacturing business at Attleboro, Mass. The Browns 
filled the mill with new machinery, and began making cotton 
cloth in 1843. The machinery was brought from Chelmsford 
and Lowell, Mass., on canal-boats to Concord, as there was no 
railroad to the village at that date, and from Concord was hauled 
on wagons to the mill. Leonard Morrison and Asa M. Gage did 
that large job of teaming. Mr. Gage relates that in loading the 
machinery the wagons were backed down into the water to the 
side of the canal-boats, so that the machines were rolled directly 
from the deck of the boats to the wagons. In February, 1844, 
the two upper stories of this mill were destroyed by fire. With 
no engine in the village or nearer than Concord, no force pump 
or other fire apparatus at hand, it seems wonderful that the fire 
could be put out before burning the whole mill. The building 
was immediatel}^ repaired, new machinery bought, and the mill 
was again running in full before the close of that year. 

The Contoocook Alanufacturing & Mechanic Company began a 
more extensive development of their propert)' in 1845 on the Con- 
cord side of the river, where they built a new dam on the site of 
the original Varney dam. The work on this dam was in charge 
of " Boston John " Clark, a man quite noted in those days for 
work of that kind, and that structure stood for forty years, then it 
was rebuilt by Calvin Gage in 1886. At the same time with the 
dam the Penacook canal was built, the work being in charge of a 
Mr. Thompson. Work was also begun that same year on the 
Penacook mill, which was built under the direction of H. H. and 
J. S. Brown, and finished in the following year, 1846. 

On completion of this mill the Browns leased it, and imme- 
diately purchased new machinery for the west half of the building, 
and began the manufacture of cotton cloth on a more extensive 
scale. 

In 1849 the Browns moved their machinery from the Contoo- 
cook mill, and filled up the east half of the Penacook mill. This 
removal of the machinery was marked by a serious accident ; 
when about to lower a spinning frame from the third floor of the 
4 



34 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 




Penacook Mill, 1846. 



old mill, the rope broke just as the machine was leaving the floor; 
John S. Brown was just leaning over the frame looking down, 
so was carried with the frame ; he had the presence of mind to 
spring forward just as his feet left the floor, and that carried him 
beyond the machine, otherwise he would have been crushed to 
death in the wreck of the spinning-frame. He came to the 
ground on his feet, shattering the bones of one ankle, and crip- 
pling him for life. 

After the removal of the Browns' machincr}' from the Contoo- 
cook mill, that building was leased to Archibald Kenned)', who 
filled up the mill with machinery, and, with his son, Samuel Ken- 
nedy, carried on the business of manufacturing cotton cloth for 
several years. About 1855 Mr. Kennedy sold his machinery to 
H. II. & J. S. Brown, which firm operated both mills, the Pena- 
cook and Contoocook, until 1865, when the firm was dissolved by 
mutual consent, and the company property was divided. H. H. 
Brown took the property at the Contoocook mill, the machine- 
shop property, and the larger part of the woodland, houses, and 
house lots. He then took his sons, Henrv F. and D. Arthur, into 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 35 

the business, forming two new firms, but with the same ownership 
in both, the firm of H. H. Brown & Sons taking the cotton manu- 
facturing business, and the firm of D. Arthur Brown & Co. the 
machine shop and foundry business. 

John S. Brown, at this division, took the Penacook mill prop- 
erty and continued the cotton manufacturing business in his own 
name until 1885, when he sold his machiner\^ to the Contoocook 
Manufacturing & Mechanic Compan}'. He, however, continued 
the management of the business as agent for four years more, his 
son, Stewart I. Brown, serving as cashier and bookkeeper until 
1889. H. H. Brown died in 1873, and the business at the Con- 
toocook mill and machine shop was continued by his sons, the 
surviving members of the firms, under the same firm names, 
Henry F. Brown assuming charge of the cotton manufacturing 
and D. Arthur Brown continuing in charge of the iron works. 
In 1880 the Contoocook mill machinery was purchased by the 
Contoocook Manufacturing & Mechanic Compan}', which corpo- 
ration continued the business under the superintendence of Henry 
F. Brown until 1890. 

In 1 89 1 a corporation was formed under the name of Bos- 
cawen Mills. The principal stockholder was Samuel S. Kimball 
of Concord, president, and Hon. Samuel C. Eastman was elected 
treasurer. This corporation purchased the old Contoocook mill, 
and the old brick grist-mill adjoining, together with the surround- 
ing land and water power. The mill was filled with machinery, 
the largest part of which had previously been owned by President 
S. S. Kimball, and operated in a mill in one of the southern 
states. The machiner}^ was placed in the mill and prepared for 
operation by Albert H. Drown. When ready for starting up, 
Mr. T. B. Wattles took charge of the manufacturing as agent. 
Mr. Wattles had a long, practical experience in the manufacture 
of }'arns and cloth, and was known as an " expert " in that busi- 
ness. This mill being fitted for manufacturing yarns, the manage- 
ment devoted their labors to the production of the highest grade 
of yarns for use in fire hose, also yarns of lighter grade for use in 
hosiery and underwear. The number of hands emplo}'ed in this 
mill is about fifty. 

Mr, Wattles died in 1898, and the manufacturing has since 



36 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



been under the direction of Jeremiah Mahoney as superintendent. 
A son of Mr. Wattles is also connected with the management. 
Mr. S. S. Kimball, the principal owner of this concern, died in 
1899, and was succeeded in the corporation by his son, Dr. 
George M. Kimball, under whose direction the business remains 
in a prosperous condition. 

On the retirement from business of Mr. J. S. Brown in 1889, 
after a term of over fifty years' service in manufacturing, his son, 
Samuel N. Brown, took charge of the Penacook mill as agent, 
and operated it for two years. He had previously been employed 
at this mill for several years, and had managed a cotton mill at 
Memphis, Tenn. 

This mill was closed down in 1891 for a season, but was again 
started up in 1892 with Henry F. Brown as agent. He was suc- 
ceeded in 1892 by Albert H. Drown as manager, who ran the 
mill until 1896, when the business was abandoned, as the ma- 
chinery was mostly too old to be run successfully. This Pena- 
cook mill then remained idle until the year 1899, when the 
building, machiner\', land, and water power were sold to a new 




New H.A.Mi-.^iiiKK Si'1.nm.N(, Mu.ls. 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 37 

corporation called the New Hampshire Spinning Mills, of which 
company Hon. Marcellus Gould is president and manager, and 
Harry H. Dudley of Concord is treasurer. The old machinery 
was thrown out as soon as the new company took possession, the 
building thoroughly repaired, the power plant renewed, the roof 
removed, and the walls built up another story. The picker and 
wheel houses were built over entire, and the mill fitted up com- 
plete with new and latest improved machinery for making fine 
cotton yarns. This assures a new lease of life and prosperity for 
one of the largest manufacturing properties in the village. 

Shortly after the Penacook mill was built, about 1847, there 
was a small factory built on the back canal by a Mr. Palmer, and 
was used for the manufacture of cotton batting for a few years. 
This was purchased about 1850 by J. C. Martin, who with his 
son-in-law, George P. Meserve, manufactured pine tables there for 
several years. That mill was burned in 1852, and a new build- 
ing erected by Martin on the same ground, where he continued 
the table business until 1868, when he sold the propert}' to D. 
Arthur Brown & Co., and the building is now used as a ware- 
house by the Concord Axle Company. 

In 1858 the first part of the machine shop (48 by 32 
feet) of the Concord Axle Compan}' was built for L. & A. H. 
Drown, who had previously been in business at the machine 
and blacksmith shops of the Penacook mill, where they had 
manufactured the wagon axles, and had begun the manufacture 
of looms for the Penacook mill. That work was continued at 
the new location by the Drowns until the breaking out of the 
Civil War in 1861, when Leonard Drown enlisted a compan}' of 
volunteers, and with them joined the Second New Hampshire 
Regiment. He was commissioned captain of the company, and 
was killed at the battle of Williamsburg, \''a., in May, 1862. 
Albert H. Drown, the other member of the firm. scr\'cd as 
quartermaster of the Sixteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volun- 
teers. In 1863 the machine shop property was purchased by 
A. B. Winn & Co. (D. Arthur Brown being the junior member), 
which firm continued but one year, being dissolved b\' the death 
of Mr. Winn. In 1864 the firm of D. Arthur Brown & Co. took up 
the business, and soon began advertising the " Concord Axles," 



38 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 




Partial View of Concord Axle Works. 



they being the first to advertise and sell wagon axles to the trade 
under that name. 

The advertising, together with the superior quality of the 
goods, soon produced an increasing demand for " Concord 
Axles," and the business increased steadily up to i88o, when a 
corporation was formed under the name of Concord Axle Co. 
At that time the business took a fresh start and soon doubled the 
former capacity of the works. New buildings and new machinery 
were added from year to year, and the corporation in 1899 "^^^.s 
doing the largest business in the whole life of this industry. The 
present plant consists of fifteen buildings including storehouses 
and pattern houses, the main buildings being the forge shop, 65 
by 65 feet; the axle shop, 120 by 48 feet; the foundry, 140 
by 50 feet. This corporation has a commodious and well-fitted 
office building opposite the work-shops, with best modern appli- 
ances for the convenient dispatch of their still growing business. 
Hardly a year has passed that has not seen considerable additions 
to their machinery and tools, while the present year shows a 
radical improvement in their process of manufacturing. While 



^rA^•UFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 39 

this shop was the first to enter the marl<et with " Concord Axles," 
at the present time nearly every axle shop in the United States 
makes the same class of goods, but none has excelled the origi- 
nal manufacturers in quality of product, the goods of the Con- 
cord Axle Company being still the "standard" for style and 
quality. Their axles are marketed mostly in the middle west 
and on the Pacific coast. The average number of hands cm- 
ployed is eighty, and the product of the works includes some 900 
tons of wagon and carriage axles, 300 tons of iron hubs for 
vehicle wheels, and 500 tons of castings. Since 1864 the man- 
agement of this concern has been in the hands of D. Arthur 
Brown, this being probably the longest term of active manage- 
ment by any manufacturer now in business in the village. The 
officers of this corporation are president, Hon. John Whitaker, 
clerk, Hon. E. H. Brown; treasurer and superintendent, D. Arthur 
Brown ; directors, in addition to these officers. " George Henry 
Chandler of Manchester, Josiah E. Fernaid of Concord, George 
E. Shepard of Franklin, and John H. Moore of Penacook. In 
1859 a foundry was built for Myron H. Sessions on the ground 
now covered by the finishing shop of the Concord Axle Co. 
He carried on the foundry business until 1862 w^hen his father, 
Horace Sessions, bought the property, and continued the foundry 
business until 1869 when he sold out to D. Arthur Brown & Co. 
That building was torn down in 1882 on the completion of the 
new foundry on the opposite side of the street. 

In 1848 there was a stone foundr}' building erected by T. W. 
Pillsbury at about the present location of the boiler house of the 
cabinet shop. This was sold in 1849 to Ames, Gerrish & Co., 
who carried on a stove manufacturing and general foundry busi- 
ness until the great freshet of 1852, when their building was de- 
stroN'ed by the fiood. This building was about lOO b}' 50 feet on 
the ground, the longest side running about parallel with the 
Penacook dam, and the walls were battered down by logs coming 
over the dam endwise, the water being so high as to carry the 
logs up to about the height of the windows. One large log which 
struck between two windows made a hole through the stone wall 
nearly six feet in diameter, and m a few hours the whole river 
side of the wall was battered down, and the building ruined. 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 4 1 

A wooden building used for a pattern house and setting-up shop 
Avas connected with the foundry, and was washed from its founda- 
tion and started down stream ; fortunately it did not reach the 
bridge, but swung around into an eddy near the present ofifice of 
the cabinet shop, where it was secured by ropes, and after the 
flood subsided it was torn down. This was the first iron foundry 
ever built in the village, and it was never rebuilt. 

The cabinet shop at the center of the village was begun in 
1 85 I by Benjamin F. Caldwell, who erected a one-story building 
which is now a part of the big shop ; this big shop was later 
built over and around it. Mr. Caldwell had previously been 
manufacturing pine furniture on Commercial street at the lower 
end of the river, and moved his machinery to the new shop- 
Two years later he took H. H. Amsden and Samuel Merriam as 
partners, the firm name being Caldwell, Amsden & Co. This 
firm continued until 1862 when Mr. Merriam sold his interest to 
the remaining partners, and the firm name was changed to 
Caldwell & Amsden. This concern was very prosperous for 
several years under the management of H. H. Amsden in the 
financial department, with B. F. Caldwell at the head of the 
manufacturing department. The business increased rapidly, the 
shops were enlarged, and for several years this firm emplo}'ed 
more men than any other industry in the village. 

Mr. Caldwell retired from the business with a competency in 
1867, and the business was continued by H. H. Amsden & Sons. 
Mr. H. H. Amsden died in 1869, and George H. Amsden, his 
oldest son, died in 1872, lea\'ing the management of the business 
in the hands of the younger son, Hon. Charles H. Amsden, who 
increased the business to much larger proportions. He practi- 
cally rebuilt the shops in 1886, installed a steam engine and 
boilers to furnish additional power, and an electric plant for 
lighting the works. These shops cut up about 3,000,000 feet of 
lumber annually for the last twenty years that they were running. 
Mr. Amsden retired from business in 1892, and the shops re- 
mained idle for a few }-ears. but in 1897 the property was pur- 
chased by the Penacook IManufacturing Company and started up 
for the manufacture of bath-room fittings, emplo}'ing some thirty 
hands. In 1899 the name of the company was changed to 



42 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

Plumbers' Woodworking Company, continuing in the same line of 
work. In 1901 this company moved their business to West Con- 
cord. 

Soon after the cabinet shop was built there was an old two-story 
building moved over from Canterbury and placed on the" ground 
now covered by the dry-house of the cabinet shop. This was 
done by a Mr. Brett, who fitted it up with machinery for the man- 
ufacture of shoe pegs. ■ He carried on quite a large business in 
that line for several years. This peg mill passed into the hands of 
Caldwell, Amsden & Co., who used it for a few years in the manu- 
facture of tubs and pails, under the management of Samuel Mer- 
riam, the junior member of the firm. Later on this shop was 
used for the furniture business in connection with the cabinet shop. 
This peg mill building stood until the freshet of 1869, when the 
water pouring over the stone breakwater washed out the founda- 
tion, turned the building partly round and ruined it, and it was 
soon torn down. 

When the Penacook canal was built there was a blacksmith 
shop standing where the office of the cabinet shop is now located. 
In this shop the stone drills used in cutting the canal were sharp- 
ened by Jeremiah Haynes, a good workman, and a very pious 
man. After the canal was completed this shop was moved to the 
yard at the east end of Penacook mill, where it remained until 
1896, and was then torn down. This shop was used about 1855 
to 1858 for forging axles, having two trip hammers, which were 
run by Capt. Leonard Drown, and which were in 1858 moved to 
the new machine shop. 

In 1857 the Contoocook Manufacturing & Mechanic Company 
built a three-story stone machine shop and a stone foundry 
building on the line of the canal, a few rods east of Main street, 
and leased them to James B. Rand (an early class leader of the 
Methodist church) for the manufacture of pianoforte hardware, 
and piano stools.-^ He soon was doing a large business in those 
lines, and employed some twenty to thirty men. Two years later 
the Contoocook Manufacturing & Mechanic Company built another 
building for him ; that is now standing over the canal and is known 

1 This machitie shop and foundry is shown in the cut of the old covered bridge on 
page 14. 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 43 

as Chadwick's block. In this building Mr. Rand went into piano 
making, but continued only a few years, and then removed to 
Concord. 

The machine shop building was next leased to Jonathan Walsh 
in 1866, who manufactured woolen goods there for some five or 
six years. It was next occupied for about two )'ears by Charles 
Black, for the manufacture of tables. In 1876 this shop was 
leased to Jos. E. Symonds and Geo. W. Abbott, who, under the 
firm name of J. E. Symonds & Co., manufactured tables there 
until 1887, when the shop and foundry were destroyed by fire. 

Another enterprise which may be classed under the head of 
manufacturing, is the Penacook Electric Light Co. This is a cor- 
poration organized in 1891, under the general laws of New Hamp- 
shire, the incorporators being Charles H. Sanders, Edmund H. 
Brown, George W. Abbott, E. E. Graves, William W. Allen, and 
John Whitaker. The original board of of^cers was as follows : 
President, Charles H. Sanders; treasurer, Edmund H. Brown; 
directors, in addition to the president and treasurer, William W. 
Allen, E. E. Graves, and G. W. Abbott. The first amount of 
capital stock was $15,000. The company immediately pur- 
chased the land, and leased the water power of the Contoocook 
Manufacturing & Mechanic Co., which had formerly been used 
by J. E. Symonds & Co.'s table factory. They erected a one- 
story stone building on the foundation of the burned table shop, 
took out the old water wheel and flume, replaced that with three 
modern wheels of fifty horse-power each. They also built a large 
chimney stack, and put in a steam engine of seventy-five horse-power 
with a boiler of eighty horse-power, making a complete steam 
plant to run the works whenever water power was not available. 
The dynamos first put in were for the Edison three-wire direct 
s}'stem of lighting, and for the first year were used for lighting 
stores and dwelling houses only. A year or two later contracts 
were made with the Ward one (light) precinct, and the Boscawen 
(light) precinct, for lighting the streets. The business increased 
steadily up to the year 1900, when the compan}' made an impor- 
tant step in advance. At that date the capital of the corporation 
was increased to $20,000, and the company purchased the 
large tract of land and water power at the upper dam on the 



44 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

"outlet" at the borough, formerly known as the Amsden pro- 
perty; this purchase included the sawmill, formerly known as the 
Whitaker mill; the fine new dam across the outlet, and the large 
three-story factory building and power house, known as the elec- 
tric mill. The Electric Light Co. needed the use of the power 
house only, and so leased the sawmill to C. M. & A. W. Rolfe, 
and the electric mill to the Whitney Electric Instrument Co. In 
the power house there were already two water wheels of one hun- 
dred horse-power each, and the company installed a complete 
new system of electric lighting, using the alternating current. On 
the completion of the new plant the company installed a new s>-s- 
tem at the old factory on Canal street to correspond with that at 
the Borough ; the wiring at the two factories being so arranged 
that the village can be lighted from either factory separately, or by 
both combined. The president of this company (1900) is George 
W. Abbott, and Charles H. Sanders is the treasurer and manager. 
At the upper falls, at the Borough, the next mill, after those 
mentioned in Chapter I, was a sawmill, built in 1833, b}' Eben 
Elliott, on the location of the present sawmill occupied by C. M. 
& A. W. Rolfe. Mr. Elliott operated his mill until about 1865, 
when the property was purchased b}' Caldwell, Amsden & Co., 
who took down the old mill and erected a larger one in 1866. 
This new sawmill was constructed by Theodore Elliott, a mill- 
wright of the old school who laid out all the work " in his head," 
as the saying was, making no drawings on paper. When he had 
prepared a very elaborate frame for this mill it was set up with- 
out alteration of a single stick of timber. When Theodore Elliott 
died the trade of millwright seemed to go out of existence, at 
least in this vicinity. This new sawmill was furnished with both 
gang and circular saws and all modern appliances. The firm of 
J. Whitaker & Co. was formed to operate the mill, and under the 
energetic management of Hon. John Whitaker sawed some 
3,000,000 feet of lumber per }-car, ncarl}- all of which was used 
at the cabinet shop in making fine furniture. INIr. Whitaker 
retired from the business in 1890, with a well earned competenc}', 
and has since employed his time in looking after his investments, 
being president of the Concord Axle Co., the Concord Cattle Co., 
and director in several other corporations. During the summer 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



45 



months he devotes much time to his fleet of pleasure boats on the 
upper pond of the Contoocook river. 

In 1890 the electric mill, so called, was erected on the north 
side of the outlet opposite the Whitaker sawmill, by Hon. Charles 
H. Amsden. This is a wooden building about fifty by one hun- 
dred feet, three stories high, having two water wheels for power, 
which take water from the same pond which supplies the sawmill. 
This property passed from Mr. Amsden to the Loan and Trust 
Savings bank of Concord, and in 1900 was purchased by the 
Penacook Electric Light Co. 





•J^', 



JQJB3:;: 



SI 



The Whitney Electrical Instrument Co.'s Plant. 



The Whitney Electrical Instrument Company, which occupies 
the main building of this mill, was incorporated in 1891, by Man- 
chester, Lowell, and Boston capitalists, for the purpose of manu- 
facturing electrical measuring instruments, under patents granted 
to Dr. A. H. Ho\-t, who was retained by them as electrician. 
Space and power which at the time was considered ample for the 
purpose, was secured at Manchester, but before their product had 
been upon the market a year the business had increased to such 



46 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

an extent that it became necessary to procure more space and 
increased facilities for manufacturing, so a factory site with ample 
water power was secured at West Penacook, and in October, 
1892, the business was located there where it has since remained. 

The phenomenal growth of the electrical industry during the 
past decade is a matter of history, and no one branch of the 
science probably required more painstaking investigation and 
research than the art of measuring the wily fluid, and this was 
especially true in connection with alternating currents transmitted 
under very high tension. That the apparatus manufactured by 
this company ranks high in the estimation of those foremost in 
the electrical profession is testified to by the fact that about every 
university in the United States and Canada has purchased Whit- 
ney instruments for laboratory measurements, and in man}' of the 
largest and most important installations of electrical machiner}' 
these instruments are prominent. 

Early in 1894 Dr. A. H. Hoyt was made general manager, a 
position he has filled satisfactorily to the stockholders and with 
credit to himself continuously since. 

During the winter of i895-'96 he turned his attention to X-ray 
work, and developed a complete line of apparatus for this pur- 
pose, which is still being successfully used by man}' of the lead- 
ing hospitals and surgeons in the country. A modified form of 
this apparatus is now being supplied for use in connection with 
long-distance wireless telegraphy. 

In 1900 this company placed a complete line of recording 
instruments on the market, and already the returns from them are 
of a most gratifying nature. 

In 1897, owing to the large demands for brass work in connec- 
tion with the apparatus manufactured by this compan}^ it was 
deemed advisable to add a brass foundr}^ to their plant, and 
bronze tablets, marking numerous historic spots in New Hamp- 
shire erected by state, towns, and societies, are a lasting testimonial 
to the character of the work turned out in this branch of their 
establishment. In addition to their electrical laboratory and foun- 
dr}' already mentioned, the compan}' have their own machine 
shop, electro-plating, lacquering and enamelling, and woodwork- 
ing departments. 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 



47 



The policy of the management has been progressive but withal 
conservative ; carefully protecting their own inventions with letters 
patent, and avoiding infringing upon the rights of others in the 
field, it stands to their credit to-day that they have never taken 
any part in patent litigation, a boast that few manufacturing com- 
panies in the electrical field can make. 

THE CONCORD MANUFACTURING CO. 

The Holdcn Woolen Mill, as it is usually called, located on the 
north side of the outlet at the Borough, was erected in 1890. 




Concord Manufacturing Company's Mill, iSgo. 

The main building is of brick, built according to standard factory 
specifications, one hundred and fort}' feet long, sixty feet wide, 
and four stories high. It contains six sets of machinery of 
approved construction, employing some two hundred hands. 
This corporation is in the hands of the Holden family, who have 
for two generations manufactured woolen goods at West Concord, 
where one of their mills is still in operation, but the head ofifice 
of the company is at the factory in Penacook. This corporation 
owns a valuable water power, which furnishes motive power for 



48 HISTORY Ol- PExXACOOK. 

Operating the machinery. They employ a larger number of 
hands than any other manufacturing concern in the village, and 
distribute a large sum of money in wages. 

Daniel Holden, the senior member of the corporation, a life- 
long successful manufacturer, retained the ofifice of treasurer until 
his death in 1899, and was succeeded in that ofifice by his son, 
Paul R., who had for several }'ears assumed the actual labors of 
the ofifice. Two other sons are connected with the management, 
Farwell P., who is president of the corporation, and Adam P., 
who superintends the West Concord mill. Under the manage- 
ment of this strong trio of brothers and their efificient superin- 
tendent, James M. Masson, the business has been constantly 
increasing in volume since the mill was built, and several addi- 
tional buildings have been added to the establishment. 

SHOE FACTORIES. 

Another industry of the early days was the manufacture of 
shoes. The first shop of note in this line was that of John Batch- 
elder, which was located in the Batchelder Store block, now known 
as the Chadwick Store block, which formerly stood on the east 
side of Washington square, in front of the Asa IMorrill homestead, 
now occupied by J. Irving Hoyt. There the business was carried 
on from 1850 to i860, and furnished employment to some fifteen 
to twenty hands in the shop, also to a considerable number of 
people at their homes in binding and bottoming shoes. One of 
the men who worked at this shop as long as the business was 
conducted there was Elisha Hoyt, but recently deceased, who 
was a familiar figure on the streets for many years. John Batch- 
elder retired from the shoe business in i860, selling out to his 
son, Charles Batchelder, and David Marsh, who carried on the 
business a few years longer, until the failing health of Charles 
Batchelder necessitated the closing of the business. 

About the year 1855 James K. Brickett moved into the village 
from Boscawen, and began manufacturing shoes in the upper 
stories of the old Brown Store building. Shortly after this John 
S. Brown joined him in the shoe business, under the firm name 
of Brown & Brickett, and increased the amount of business 
rapidly. They had the two upper floors of that building com- 



MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. 49 

pletely filled with workmen, and a part of the ground floor was 
occupied for a stock room. Probably forty to fifty hands were 
employed in this shop at one time, and perhaps as many more 
men and women at their homes, who took out shoes to make or 
to bind. This shop was a popular place for the boys, a consid- 
erable number being employed to peg shoes by hand. This 
work, done by the piece, gave good wages to the boys who were 
smart and willing to work. Two of the smartest boys were 
William and John Flanders, sons of Samuel Flanders, who resided 
in the house at the west end of Canal street. Both of them were 
afterward soldiers of the Union armv in the War of the Rebellion. 
John died while in service at Hilton Head, S. C. William served 
three years, and was a brave and faithful soldier. He died in 
Illinois in 1 89 1. His widow and several children now reside in 
the village. 

The business of this shoe shop was somewhat disturbed (as the 
writer well remembers) by the Second Advent excitement of 
1857. Several of the hands were earnest believers in the Second 
Advent doctrine, and were free to expound their belief and to 
urge their fellow-workmen to prepare for the coming of Christ, 
the Batchelders, father and son (from Loudon), being especially 
active in the matter. About two weeks before the expected day 
they left work, gave up what property they possessed, and pre- 
pared for the great event. After the day had passed these sadly- 
disappointed men returned to the shop and began work again, 
poorer, if not wiser, men. 

There have been smaller manufacturing enterprises in the vil- 
lage from time to time ; one of these was the manufacture of 
coffins by John Johnson, in a shop on the south side of Queen 
street, which shop was burned in 1867. There was a small manu- 
factory of leather wallets here about 1848, owned and operated 
by F. B. Brockway, in a small building in the rear of Granite 
block, but Mr. Brockway left the village about 1850, and the 
business was not continued. Another of the earlier enterprises 
was the harness shop of John A. Coburn, which was conducted 
in the Coburn block, over the canal, for many years. 
5 



so 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 




The First Store, 1S36. 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 

The first store in the village is still standing, on the Boscawen 
side, opposite the old hotel. The first proprietors were John- 
son & Gage (Luther Johnson and Isaac K. Gage), who began 
business there about 1836. In ICS49 there were two firms oc- 
cupying the store, — Johnson & Gage, keeping drugs, medicines, 
books, and stationery, and L. Gage & Co. (Luther Gage and 
John C. Johnson), who kept a line of English and West India 
goods, flour, butter, cheese, etc. The first post-ofiice was estab- 
lished in this store in 1843, with Luther Johnson as first post- 
master. The Johnsons, Luther and John, mox'cd to Minneapo- 
lis in 1854, and the store was kept for a number of years by 
L. Gage & Co. Austin G. Kimball succeeded L. Gage & Co., and 
later sold out to George M. Dudle}', who kept the store several 
}'ears. The next firm was Foote & Gage (Henr\' T. Foote and 
Harley C. Gage). Both members of the firm were experienced 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 



51 



men in that line of business. That firm was succeeded by Foote 
& Morse, George A. Morse taking the place of Harley C. Gage, 
who moved to Minneapolis in 1880. The Sanborn Brothers 
bought the old store in 1891, and have continued there until 
the present date. This old store has always kept a line of goods 
usually found in country stores, and the present firm appear to 
be doing a fair share of the grocery business for the village. 

Jeremiah Kimball built the Pantheon block, which was raised 
September 17, 1845, and kept a country store in the lower story 
for a few years, but was not financially successful, and the build- 
ing soon passed to other hands. Mr. Kimball moved to Concord, 
and was engaged in the junk business during the latter years of 
his life. The Pantheon block has been used for many purposes, 
but has rarely been fully occupied. It is now owned b)' Dr. 
Alexander, whose homestead lot adjoins the Pantheon property. 




Pantheon Block. 



52 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

In 1840 there was another store built on the ground now cov- 
ered by Dr. Alexander's residence. This was a dry goods store, 
owned by Crosb)" & Gage, who remained in business but a few 
years. In 1845 the building was sold to the First Baptist Society, 
who used it until 1849 as a place of worship. Soon after that the 
building was bought by the late Dr. S. M. Emery, who cut it in 
the centre and used one half for the ell of his residence and the 
other half as a part of his stable. 

In 1843 H. H. and J. S. Brown built the old store building 
still standing just south of the Contoocook mill. In that a coun- 
try store was opened, and the business has been run continuous!}^ 
to the present day, though the location was slightly changed 
when the present store was built in 1855. O^ those who have at 
different times been managers of the Brown store Greenough 
McOuesten was one of the first. He was a very capable business 
man and a deacon of the Congregational church. Later on he 
removed to Concord, where he secured a position as bookkeeper 
at the Concord Railroad machine shop, and remained there dur- 
ing his life. His daughter Myra was for several }'ears clerk in 
the post-ofifice in this village. One of his sons now has a grocery 
store at Concord, and his youngest son, Peter Rockwood, is a 
Congregational clergyman at Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Dea. William H. Allen was at the head of this store for 
several years, and will long be remembered as one of the most 
active and popular of all the village merchants. He had many 
"original sayings" of peculiar point and humor; one was, "It is 
no credit to a man if he can write well, but it is a disgrace if he 
cannot," his own writing being of such a peculiar form that he 
could not read it himself after it was cold, as he said. 

Dea. David Putnam was for several years a proprietor of the 
Brown store, beginning about 1862. He was a deacon of the Con- 
gregational church, a man of unblemished character, of a quiet 
and unassuming disposition, but an excellent man of business,, 
methodical, accurate, and a fine penman. He had for a partner 
Moses H. Bean during the first year, the firm name being Putnan> 
& Bean. In 1865 he took for a partner Lyman K. Hall, the firm 
name being Putnam & Hall. Deacon Putnam retired from busi- 
ness in 1870, and died soon afterwards, leaving one son, who is 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 



53 



now a prosperous merchant in Boston. The widow and one 
daughter still reside in the village. 

In 1870 the firm of Hall & Foote, consisting of Lyman K. Hall 
and Charles T. Foote, took the store, and continued until 1875, 
when Hall sold out to David A. Brown; the firm name then was 
changed to Brown & Foote. Mr. Brown was a brother of H. H. 
and J. S. Brown and a member of that firm when they owned the 
store. He had been serving as bookkeeper several years before 
forming the partnership with Mr. Foote. Mr. Brown was a man 
of unblemished character, a liberal contributor to worthy objects, 




The Bkown Stores, i 843-1855. 



a good neighbor and steadfast friend. He was a liberal patron of 
all musical interests, and served as organist and choir leader of the 
Baptist church for a long series of years without pecuniary com- 
pensation. He was also an ardent admirer of fine horses, and for 
several years owned some of the best in the state. 

Mr. Brown sold his interest in the store to his nephew, Stewart 
I. Brown, in 1886. Stewart attended to the bookkeeping for the 
firm, as his uncle did in the previous years, and Mr. Foote con- 



54 HISTORY OF PEJVJACOOK. 

tinued in charge of the purchasing department, the firm name 
being changed to Foote, Brown & Co. Stewart Brown was un- 
doubtedly the finest penman that ever did business at this old 
store, as well as a very liberal man and a good citizen. He 
remained in the firm until 1897, then sold his interest to his cousin, 
Hon. Edmund H. Brown, and later removed to Bristol, N. H., 
where he is at present in business in a country store. Mr. 
Edmund H. Brown is the youngest son of Dea. H. H. Brown, one 
of the original proprietors of this same store. 

One of the earlier salesmen of the old Brown store was Rev. 
J. \V. Poland, who attained quite a wide notoriety later as the pro- 
prietor of Dr. Poland's White Pine Compound, a remedy for lung 
troubles, which he first prepared for his own use. He built the 
house now used for the Methodist parsonage about 1850. 

The volume of business at this store is still, as it has always 
been, the largest of any store in the village. In the fifty-six years 
of its existence there has never been any spirituous or malt liquors 
for sale, and there has never been a business failure or a fire. 
There have been connected with the management seven deacons 
and one clergyman, a record not often matched in business. 

John Batchelder, a former resident of Loudon, came into the 
village about 1846, and built a large store and tenement block 
facing Washington square, which is now standing on East Canal 
street between Granite block and Chadwick's stable. In that 
building he kept a country store for many years, which was a 
favorite place of assembly for the older residents and the scene of 
much political discussion, story-telling, and good times generally. 

Mr. Batchelder was a man of more than ordinary intelligence 
and abilit}'. He was a justice of the peace and did considerable 
work for the citizens in the way of conve}'ing property, etc. Two 
sons, Charles and E. Frank, were associated with Mr. Batchelder 
in the store, both capable and promising young men, active and 
influential in all \'illage affairs, whose early deaths (Charles, 
December i, i860, and Frank, August 25, 1866), were a serious 
loss to the village. Mr. John Batchelder died some years before 
his sons, and there are no male descendants of the laniil\- now 
living. 

The old Batchelder store was occupied after the decease of the 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 



55 



Batchelclers by John P. Hubbard, for a short time ; also by Hon. 
John C. Pearson, and by Jolm McNeil, A. L. Huff, Albert Dow, 
and others. 

Another of the early storekeepers was Jacob P. Sanders, who 
opened a shoe shop as early as 1848, and continued in the shoe 
and clothing- business for thirty years, with two short intermissions 




Sanders Bluck. 



of one or two years each, and turned over the business in 1878 to 
his son, Charles H. Sanders, who has continued the business on 
an enlarged scale most successfully up to the present date. Mr. 
Jacob Sanders was a prominent and earnest believer of the Second 
Advent doctrine as expounded by the late Elder John G. Hook 
and others about 1854, and his son Charles is quite as prominent 
a member of the Congregational church. The first Sanders block 
was a one-story wooden building containing three stores, and was 
burned in 1869. The second was a three-story brick block con- 
taining three stores on the ground floor, with halls and offices on 
the upper floors. This block was also burned in 1891, and was 
immediateh' replaced by the present two-story brick block, with 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 57 

two large stores on the ground floor and on the second floor are 
located the village reading-room, a club-room, and three offices. 

The Allen store was erected in 1847 by Button & Pratt, who 
opened a dry goods and jewelry store. Mr. Button, the senior 
member 01 trie nrm, was the father of George N. Button, one 01 
the present dry goods merchants. Mr. Button, senior, died in 
1855. He was succeeded in business by E. L. York, the firm 
name being changed to Pratt & York. 

In 1855 Mr. York retired, and Bea. William H. Allen came into 
the business under the firm name of Pratt & Allen. The next 
change, in 1858, brought in L}'man K. Hall, who purchased 
Pratt's interest in the business, and the firm name was then changed 
to Allen & Hall. That firm continued until 1863, when Mr. Hall 
retired. After that date Beacon Allen carried on the business 
alone until 1886, when he sold out to his son, William W. Allen, 
who is the present enterprising proprietor. 

Mr. York remained in the village a few years engaged in other 
business, then removed to Lowell, Mass. He was, when in the vil- 
lage, a zealous and earnest member of the Methodist congregation. 

Bana B. Pratt, the junior member of the original firm, was 
a man of good abilities and education, and a shrewd manager. 
He afterward secured the appointment of postmaster for two terms, 
and served the people well in that office. His death occurred 
about 1870. 

Lyman K. Hall, another partner at the old Allen store, came 
to the village in 1854 and entered the dry goods store of Pratt 
& York as clerk, in which position he remained with that firm 
and with the succeeding firm of Pratt & Allen until 1858, when he 
bought Mr. Pratt's interest and formed a partnership with William 
H. Allen, under the firm name of Allen & Hall. 

This firm contiinied until 1 863, when he sold his interest in the 
business to his partner. Mr. Hall next went into the old Brown 
store as clerk for the firm of Putnam & Bean, and in 1865 he 
bought Mr. Bean's interest and went into business with Bavid 
Putnam, under the firm name of Putnam & Hall. In 1870 Mr. 
Charles K. Foote bought Mr. Putnam's interest and a new firm was 
formed as Hall & Foote. Mr. Hall continued in this business 
until 1875 when failing health prompted him to retire. 



58 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

For six years his health was so much impaired that he could do 
no business, but in 1881 he recovered sufficient strength to again 
enter the old Allen store as clerk, where he first began work 
twenty-seven years before. He remained with Mr. Allen until 
1887, when he retired from active business but occasionally 
helped at the old store after that date. Mr. Hall had a ver\' com- 
fortable homestead on the Boscawen side of the river, in a fine 
location overlooking the village in which his active life had been 
spent.' Mr. Hall had always been a prominent member of the 
Methodist church. He died August 17, 1900, and was buried in 
Woodlawn cemetery. 

The most notable of the retired or graduated storekeepers of 
the village is Hon. John C. Linehan, now insurance commissioner 
of the state of New Hampshire, who was for many years one of 
the most jovial, hearty, and popular of the village merchants. 

He began business in 1864, soon after his return from the army, 
under the firm name of Brown & Linehan, in the store building 
over the canal on the west side of Main street. His partner in 
business was the late Dea. Henry F. Brown. 

Mr. Brown retired about 1866, and Mr. Linehan continued the 
business alone. He moved his business to a store in the Exchange 
block, where he conducted a grocery business very successfully 
until 1889, when he closed a twenty-five years' term as grocer to 
devote his time to the duties of his new office as insurance com- 
missioner, in which office he has attained a national reputation. 

Samuel G. No}'es came to the village in 1854 from the neigh- 
boring town of Boscawen. He took the south store in the Granite 
block, and kept a Yankee variety store for a long term of years. 
Musical instruments, sewing machines, watches, clocks, and jewelry 
were branches of his business, and newspapers and periodicals, 
school books, etc., were included in his stock. He also ran the 
first telegraph office of the village. Another of his enterprises was 
the establishment of the first permanent newspaper in the village, 
the Rays of Ligiii,\\'\\'\c\\ was begun in 1873, ^^'^^ ^^ ^'^^^^ ^^'^^ only 
paper published in the village. 

Mr. Noyes, in addition to his store duties, found time to teach 
brass bands, train church choirs, and wa-^ for many }-ears organist 
at the Baptist church. In 1881 Mr. Noyes opened a store at 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 



59 



Concord, leaving his son, George A. Noyes, to run the newspaper 
and printing-office, while his wife and brother Enoch tended the 
store. He returned to the village in 1 892, and" again took up 
business at the old stand. He moved his business across the 
street in 1895 to a store in the Graphic block, where he still con- 
ducts the newspaper, periodical, stationer}', book, watch, jew- 
elry, confectionery, toy, and telegraph business with renewed 
energy. 




Chadwick. Block, Main Street. 

Hale Chadwick and his brother, John Chadwick, are both 
retired storekeepers. Hale came to the village shortly after his 
discharge from the army in 1865, and went into the grocery busi- 
ness with Cephas H. Fowler, the firm name being Fowler & 
Chadwick, occupying the south store of the first Sanders block. 
Mr. Fowler remained but one year in that business, and Mr. 
Chadwick continued until 1867, when he closed out his grocery 
business He then bought the dry goods store of George \V. 
Abbott, in the same block. He was burned out in 1869, but 
began again the same line of business in the new brick block on 
the same location. Shortly after that he sold a half interest in 



60 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

the business to his brother John, the firm name being Chadwick 
& Company. This firm added a line of boots and shoes to their 
business. The brothers next purchased the Hohiies block, 
directly across the street from the Sanders block store, and car- 
ried on the dry goods and boot and shoe business there until 
1874, when Hale bought his brother's interest in the store, and 
continued alone until about 1880. He then closed out his store 
business, and sold his interest in the block to his brother John, 
who still owns the block. 

John McNeil is one of the oldest traders in the village, having 
been in the store business, either alone or in company with 
others, or clerking, ever since 1867, and has always been a popu- 
lar man with his customers ; his thirty-two years' service has not 
by any means incapacitated him for business, and he is still actively 
at work, early and late. 

Henry T. Foote, a brother of Charles T. Foote, is another of 
the traders who has been connected with the store business for 
about a third of a centur)', either as proprietor or clerk in se\-eral 
of the principal stores of the village. He is a jovial, whole- 
souled man, who always carries a cheery word and a hearty laugh 
in stock for every customer. His son Walter, now clerking in 
the Foote, Brown & Compan)' store, bids fair for maintaining the 
family reputation as excellent storekeepers. 

George N. Button, the popular dry goods merchant, began 
business at the present location in Sanders's block in 1884, in 
partnership with Jacob P. Sanders, under the firm name of 
Sanders & Button. He bought out his partner's interest in 1888, 
and has since continued the business alone. Mr. Button's father 
was the first dry goods merchant in the \-illage on the Concord 
side, being the senior member of the firm of Button & Pratt, who 
built the old Allen store in 1847. Mr. Button has a fine store, 
with his goods arranged in attractive form. His beautiful resi- 
dence on Pleasant street and his large tenement house on Wash- 
ington square seem to indicate that he has been prosperous in 
business. 

John C. I'arrand is growing to be one of the older line of store- 
keepers. He has been in trade since 1884, first as manager of a 
cooperative store, and in business alone since 1886. He now 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 



6l 



■\. , li^sirXW^^ifiMSft*!- iC*. 




The Little Block, and Eagle Block. 



owns the Eagle block, where his store is located, and in which he 
carries a good line of groceries, boots, shoes, etc. He also owns 
the Dr. Little block next north of Eagle block. In addition to 
his store business he has coal sheds near the depot. He has also 
built up a large business in wood for fuel, and seems to be enjoy- 
ing the prosperity which his energy and talents should ensure. 
Mr. Farrand is a prominent member of the Episcopal church. 

Andrew Linehan, the proprietor of the popular fruit and con- 
fectionery store, started in the store business as clerk for his 
brother, John C. Linehan, some twenty-five years ago, and has 
been in business for himself since 1887. His store over the canal 
on Main street is the best location for that business in the village. 
He also runs a fruit and grocery wagon regularly to Boscawen, 
doing quite an extensive business in that direction. During the 
summer season he runs the cafe at the Contoocook River park. 
He is an excellent salesman, and one of the most industrious men 
in the village. 

Holt & Vinica is another of the grocery firms, and is located 
in the Knowlton block. Mr. Holt has been engaged in the busi- 



62 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

ness as clerk or proprietor since 1884. His partner, Mr. Vinica, 
came into the business in 1894. Both partners are industrious, 
hard-working men, and deserve success. 

The brick store, just above the hotel on the Boscawen side, was 
built for Austin G. Kimball, who, with his son George, began 
business there about 1877. They remained in business there but 
a few years. Since they retired it has been occupied only a part 
of the time ; the last occupant was B. Frank Gage, a market gar- 
dener, who has lately removed to a store in Granite block, on the 
Concord side. The store is owned by the widow of Austin G. 
Kimball. 

Fred M. Morse, the proprietor of the furniture and fancy goods 
store in Graphic block, became a resident of the village in 1864. 
He began work as clerk in the grocery store of George M. 
Dudley, on the Boscawen side, remaining there a few years, and 
then went to the Brown store, where he continued as clerk until 
1896. He then opened a fancy goods store in Granite block, 
from which he removed in 1898 to his present location. 

Still another grocery store doing a thriving business is located 
in Graphic block, the firm name being Sargent & Company, suc- 
ceeding the firm of Jackman & Sargent. Mr. Sargent is com- 
paratively a new man in the village, but is making a place for 
himself in the ranks of that hard-working clan, the " grocery 
men." He is a prominent member of the Methodist church. 

One of the early storekeepers who remained but a few years 
was James Hazelton, who kept a millinery and dry goods store in 
Granite block. He removed to Concord soon after 1850, and 
continued the millinery business there until 1898. Other store- 
keepers who have been in business at times were: D. W. Fox, 
Horace Abbott, George W. Abbott, Newell C. Hunt, Sanborn & 
Carter, Samuel Campbell, Hubbard & Davis, Fisherville Coopera- 
tive Association, and D. B. Weymouth. 

George W. Wadlcigh, the early proprietor of the Graphic 
block, kept at first a grocery store, and later a millinery store in 
that building for several )'cars, and then mox^ed to Concord and 
continued the same business as loner as he lived. 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 



63 



DRUGGISTS. 

Of druggists there have been two in the village most of the time 
since 1846. One of the first in that line was Edward H. Rollins, 
afterward in the same business at Concord, a notable manager of 
political affairs, who attained the honor of a seat in the senate of 
the United States. His son, Frank West Rollins, late governor of 
New Hampshire, seems destined to attain the same high position 
formerly occupied by his father. 

James G. Rollins, a relative of Edward H., kept a drug store in 
the south end of Graphic block about 1850. 




Granite Block. 



Jacob Hosmer was another of the early druggists ; he was a 
brother of Dr. \V. H. Hosmer, and was a noted musician, being 
the finest tenor singer that ever resided in the village. Dr. Will- 
iam H. Hosmer purchased the Granite block, and kept a drug 
store in the north end of the block from 1850 to about 1852. The 



bu^i': 







STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 65 

late John S. Rollins, who succeeded Dr. Hosmer in the drug busi- 
ness, probably serv^ed longer in that line than any of the others. 
On retiring in 1874 he transferred the business to his son-in-law, 
Cephas H. Fowler, who is still in the business, but in another 
location, in Exchange block. 

The old drug store in Granite block is now owned b\' W. C. 
Spicer, a young man of much energy, who does not allow the 
business to languish for want of enthusiastic advertising. 

Dr. Charles C. Topliff opened a drug store in the north end of 
Exchange block about 1870, and continued the business in con- 
nection with his practice as a physician, so long as his health per- 
mitted. Dr. Topliff was a man of excellent character and attain- 
ments, universally respected and beloved by the whole community. 
He died at the home of his brother, Hon. Elijah M. Topliff, at 
Manchester, N. H., in 1881, and was buried at Hanover, N. H., his 
early home. The drug business of Dr. Topliff was sold to J. Irv- 
ing Hoyt and moved to the next store south, where he carried on 
the business for a few years, and was succeeded for a shorter term 
by Harry S. Harris, who sold to Cephas H. Fowler, the present 
proprietor. 

WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELERS. 

One of the first watchmaker and jewelry stores of the village 
was kept by B. F. Stevens in Coburn's block where the post-office 
is now located. This was opened about 1852, and was carried on 
by Mr. Stevens only two or three years. 

The oldest watchmaker and jewelr}- store in the village is that of 
the late William H. Bell, who came to the village in 1859, and 
began business in the south store of Graphic block. In 1865 he 
moved into the Coburn block, occupying the south corner store 
until 1868, when he purchased the store on the opposite side of 
the street, later owned by Andrew Linchan. He remained at the 
Linehan store until 1885, when he purchased a half interest in 
the Exchange block, and moved his business to the north store, 
where he continued a lucrative busmess until his death in 1897, 
The business is continued b}' his widow, with Mr. M. J. Haynes 
as manager. 

R. D. Morse, a native of Kansas, came to Penacook in 1891 as 



66 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

a watchmaker and jeweler for Isaac Baty. He remained with Mr. 
Baty until 1897, and then leased the north store of Knowlton's 
block and began business for himself. He carries a good line of 
watches, clocks, jewelry, spectacles, bicycles, guns, etc., and 
repairs bicycles. 

PHOTOGRAPHERS. 

The first man who ever " took pictures" in the village was a 
Mr. Johnson, who had rooms in the old Brown's store building 
about 1845. His pictures were " daguerreotypes" taken on silver 
coated plates, an old process now quite obsolete, but one that 
made good pictures, which are still clear and distinct after fifty 
years' service. By that old process the " sitter" was obliged to 
sit perfectly still for a long time, it seemed like an hour to one 
boy of six years, whose picture is still in the possession of the 
writer. Mr. Johnson remained in the village but a few years. 
D. Dennison Cone, artist, took daguerreotypes at No. 3, Coburn's 
block, in 1850, and for several years after that date. He was an 
enterprising " artist" who advertised his business well, and left a 
large amount of his work in the village. Benjamin Carr of Con- 
cord also had "rooms" here a few years. C. C. Marshall took 
pictures at the old Batchelder store building several years. 

Herman L. Currier, who married the only daughter of Maj. 
J. S. Durgin, came to the village in June, 1859, and opened his 
" rooms " over the old Batchelder store. He was probably the 
first artist to use the "ambrotype" process in the village ; this 
process used a glass plate for the picture in place of the metal 
plate used in the earlier process. He also used the later photo- 
graph process. Mr. Currier was quite a popular young man, and 
did a large amount of work in his line, much of which is still seen 
in the village. Some of the portraits now in the Masonic lodge 
room are his work, and he was a member of the lodge here. He 
remained in the business until 1867, when he moved to New Lon- 
don. He is still in the same business at Hillsborough Bridge, 
after forty years' work as a photographer. 

Morris S. Lamprey, a veteran of the Tenth N. H. V^ols., began 
business as a photograph artist in 1870, in the same rooms which 
he now occupies, the building being at that date located on the 
east side of Washington square. Good times or bad times seem 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. Gj 

to have but little effect on this steady-going veteran ; he is always 
on deck day or night ready for business, at such favorable rates 
for his customers that it seems that he must get his pay from the 
enjoyment of his work rather than from the amount of money 
taken. For thirty years he has taken " pictures " of the citizens, 
and his collection of portraits is now extensive and interesting. 

A small portable photograph shop has been located on Wash- 
ington street, for the past two years, which is owned by another 
war veteran, Mr. Bedell. Another photograph shop has been 
opened in 1901 on Merrimack street by M. C. Harriman. 

BUTCHERS AND MARKETMEN. 

The first butcher of the village, who delivered meats regularly 
to his customers, was Caleb C. Hall, who lived for many years at 
the northern limit of the village, a little above the present residence 
of D. E. Jones. He was engaged in the business as early as 1840, 
and continued about forty years. In his later years he resided at 
Boscawen plain, his place being the next north of the famous Dix 
residence. 

Another man in this line of business, who served just about the 
same number of years, was Daniel Smith, who came into the vil- 
lage from the Canterbury side of the river in 1858; and, in com- 
pany with his brother Charles, opened a meat market in the base- 
ment of the Washington House. Charles retired after nine years' 
work, and Daniel continued alone until 1898 ; the later }'ears of his 
term were in the basement of Exchange block. A more honest 
and reliable man was never known in the ranks of the marketmen 
of Penacook. 

One of the earliest firms in the market business was Morrill & 
Pillsbury, who were located in the basement of the Washington 
House. Another man who occupied the same store for a time 
before 1850 was George D. Abbott; he removed to San Francisco 
as one of the " forty-niners," and remained there. 

William H. Sawyer of Warner, one of the original proprietors 
of Exchange block, drove a butcher's cart into town for some 
time about 1870, and later opened a meat market in Exchange 
block, which he soon turned over to his son, who conducted the 
business for a year or two and then returned to Warner. 



68 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

John Foss came to the village about 1867 and opened a meat 
market under the Washington House, and did a considerable 
business for several years. He turned over the business to his 
son-in-law, John B. Goldsmith, who continued business in the 
same store for some years. Later he closed up the store business, 
but has since sold meat from his cart, in the village, also at 
West Concord and Concord. Among the later storekeepers in the 
meat and provision line are A. L. Huff, W^illiam B. Cunningham, 
Frank Bean, and F. A. Abbott. The present traders in this line 
are Edward Prescott, who has the old stand in the basement of the 
Washington House, and Fred H. Blanchard, whose place of busi- 
ness is in the Little block, in a new store fitted up with all the 
latest facilities for the business. Both of these traders run butcher 
carts in the village and vicinity and are giving the citizens excel- 
lent service. 

STOVE AND TIN SHOPS. 

A stove and tin shop was established as early as 1848 b}' H. H. 
Amsden in the basement of the building now occupied by Isaac 
Baty, and the following year he built the Chadwick block and 
moved his shop to that building. A few years later Samuel Mer- 
riam was taken into the business, the firm name being changed to 
Amsden & Merriam. 

Soon after this business was established Mr. Amsden caught the 
"gold fever," as it was called at that time, and went to California in 
1849, to secure some of the gold just then discovered. He returned 
in about two }'ears, somewhat broken in health, but with a consid- 
erable addition to his financial resources, and again took up his 
business in the tin shop. 

Amsden & Merriam sold out their stove and tin business in 
1853 to John P. Hubbard, who moved to the village from Man- 
chester, where he had been engaged in the same line of business. 

Mr. Hubbard -retired from that business in 1861, selling out to 
Reuben C. Danforth, who ran the business for a short time and 
then sold the business to Holmes & Evans. John A. Holmes, 
of this firm, was possessed of considerable propert)' before coming 
to the village. He built the brick house at the east end of Sum- 
mer street, and resided there for several )'ears. In 1870 he, with 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 



69 



G. \V. Abbott and W. H. Sawyer, built the Exchange block. On 
completion of that block he moved the stove and tin business to 
the south store in the new building. Two years later, in 1872, Mr. 
Holmes sold his interest in the business to Nathaniel S. Gale, and 
the firm name was changed to Evans & Gale. Mr. Holmes, on 
retiring from this business, removed to Beloit, Wis., where he 
died a few years ago. Mr. ICvans, a most estimable young man, 
died in the spring of 1881, and his place in the store was taken by 
Rufus E. Gale, a brother of N. S., the firm name being changed 




Mechanics Block. 

to N. S. Gale & Co. N. S. Gale was a highly respected citizen, 
a man of strict integrity, who represented the ward in the city 
government several years, and was a master of the Masonic lodge. 
Mr. Gale died in 1897, and the business has since been con- 
ducted by the surviving partner, Rufus E. Gale, a worthy veteran 
of the Civil War, who served three years, entering the army as a 
sergeant, and retiring with the rank of first lieutenant and adju- 
tant of his regiment, the Twelfth Regiment New Hampshire Vol- 
unteers. 

A second stove and tin shop was opened about the year 1863, 



70 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

by Moses H. Bean, in the basement of Mechanics block. He 
remained in the business but a few seasons, and then sold the 
business to Horace Sessions. In 1866 Isaac Baty, a veteran of 
the Civil War, came to the village from Burlington, Vt., and 
bought the business of Mr. Sessions. Mr. Baty, being a practical 
tinman, made the business successful from the start, and soon had 
his full share of the work. He increased his business from \-ear 
to year, and soon had an extensive trade in stoves as well as in 
tinware. After some years he added plumbing and steam-fitting 
branches to the business. He has required enlargements of his 
premises several times as he has added other lines of goods, 
among them hardware, plumbers' materials, clocks, watches, and 
jewelry, crockery and glass, and furniture. His present store 
occupies about six times the space of the shop in which he began 
business, and is one of the most attractive stores on the street. 

A third tin and plumbing shop is located on Centre street, of 
which William Arthur Bean is the proprietor. Mr. Bean does 
considerable work in roofing, plumbing, and repairing lines. He 
is a son of the late Moses H. Bean, who opened the tin shop in 
Mechanics block in 1863. 

A fourth shop in somewhat the same line is located in 'the 
Chadwick block, over the canal. \V. B. Ouimb}' is proprietor, 
and his business is mostly in the repairing line. 

MILLINERS. 

Of the millinery shops it is difificult to get a full record. The 
first was kept by Widow Knowlton (mother of Joseph, Henr}% 
and Alonzo), in the front room of her house, as early as 1846, 
the house being in the rear of the present stores of the Knowlton 
block. About 1852 Widow Lucretia Sabin took the Knowlton shop, 
and carried on the millinery business until 1856, when she gave up 
the business to become the second wife of Dca. Henry H. Brown. 
A Miss Atherton occupied the Knowlton shop for several years, 
and was succeeded by Fanny B. Daggett, who kept a dressmaking 
shop there for several years. 

James Hazelton opened a millinery store in Granite block about 
1847, but soon removed to Concord, where he continued in that 
business until 1898. 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 71 

M. O. Hastings opened a millinery store in the new Graphic 
block in 1849, but soon sold out to George W. Wadleigh, the 
proprietor of the block, who continued there some ten years. He 
then removed to Concord, where he remained in the same line of 
business as long as he lived. 

In 1850 a Miss Merrill had a millinery shop in the second floor 
of the Allen store. 

Mrs. H. J. Thompson (Clement) opened a millinery shop in 
1850 in the Coburn block, where the post-olTice is now located. 
She continued the business there about fifteen years, with the 
exception of a short change to Manchester. During the later 
years of her occupancy of that store her business was conducted 
by her niece, Susan ]\I. Follansbee, who gave up the business to 
become the wife of D. Arthur Brown in 1864. Mrs. Thompson's 
sister, Myra Jacobs, was also a milliner at this shop a little earlier, 
and left the business to become the wife of Lyman K. Hall. 

In 1859 Mrs. Ada Batchelder and her sister, Mary Morrill, took 
the store later owned by Andrew Linehan, and carried on the 
millinery business for quite a number of years at that location, 
and later in Graphic block, retiring in 1870 to assume family 
cares. Mrs. Batchelder became the second wife of George W. 
Abbott, and her sister Mary married John B. Dodge. 

In 1865 the Kilburn sisters, Luc\' and Mary, came to the vil- 
lage, took a store in the Graphic block, and made a venture in 
the milliner}'^ business, but two years onh' brought them to the 
same obstacle that had closed the business of so many milliners 
before them, as Lucy was then married to Samuel N. Brown, the 
present register of deeds of Merrimack county, and her sister 
Mary retired to a less dangerous locality. After the Kilburn sis- 
ters, the next occupant of the millinery store was Timothy S. 
Jacobs, a brother of Mrs. Thompson, the carl}' milliner. He car- 
ried on the business for a few years, and then Mrs. Thompson 
returned to the business again in the Graphic block, and while 
there was married to Rev. Joshua Clement. 

The Peaslee sisters, Martha and Alvira, were another firm of 
milliners who began business about 1874 in Exchange block. 
This firm was also dissolved by the marriage of one of the part- 
ners. Miss Alvira being married to Da\-id S. Marsh. The remain- 



72 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

ing sister, Martha, has continued the business until the present 
date (1901), part of the time occupying a store in Graphic block, 
but for the last few years has had her rooms on the second floor 
of the Chadwick block, on Main street. 

Mrs. Hale Chadwick began the millinery business in the name 
of Mrs. H. Chadwick & Co., in 1870, when she bought out the 
business of Mrs. Ada Batchelder and sister, who were then located 
in No. 4 Graphic block. Mrs. Chadwick soon moved to the 
north store of the Chadwick block, where she carried on the busi- 
ness until 1884. She then moved to No. i Graphic block, where 
she still remains, after a continuous business of thirty years, a 
remarkably active and capable business woman. This term of 
service in one line of business is much the longest of any in the 
millinery business. She was married before commencing busi- 
ness. 

DRESSMAKERS. 

There have been dressmakers from the earliest days of the \il- 
lage, some of them keeping shops on the street, but mostly doing 
the business at their homes. One of the earliest was Mary F. 
Hoyt, who had rooms on the second floor of Mechanics block 
for a long time, beginning probably about 1846. She became 
the wife of Lyman Cheney later in life, and resided for several 
years on Washington street. 

Sarah Ann Jackman was another of the dressmakers about 1850, 
residing on East Canal street. 

Abby Thompson was in the same line of business at about the 
same date, her rooms being on the second floor of the Allen store. 

Miss Louisa Mann, sister of the late Samuel R. Mann, worked 
at dressmaking for many years along in the fifties and sixties, her 
home being on Merrimack street. 

Mrs. Ada Batchelder and her sister, Mary Morrill, also carried 
on dressmaking, as well as the millinery business. 

Some of those who were in this business in later years were 
Fanny B. Daggett, Mrs. Dudley, Mrs. Clement. Mrs. Dimond, 
and Miss Anna Walsh, who is the leader in the business at the 
present date. 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 73 

TAILORS. 

The tailors who have kept shops in the village for the manufac- 
ture of men's clothing have been a good class of workmen. One 
of the first in this line was A. W. Ouimby whose place of business 
was in the Pantheon block, at a time when the north end was the 
principal part of the village. He left the village soon after 1850. 
T. F. Bassett was one of the early tailors, his place of business 
being in Mechanics block. George B. Davis had a tailor shop 
before 1850, in a small building that stood near the north end of 
the bridge on Main street, between the bridge and the boarding- 
house at the foot of Elm street. Mr. Davis married one of the 
Tewksbury daughters, a sister of Mrs. W. W. Whittier, who re- 
sides on the old Tewksbury farm at the Borough. He removed 
to California about 1855, and carried on a clothing business in San 
Francisco for many years. O. N. French had a tailor shop on 
Summer street as early as 1848, and was later located in the 
Andrew Linehan store, and in several other places. Mr. French 
was the senior Odd Fellow of the village ; his two sons, William 
and Oscar, both served in the army in the War of the Rebellion, and 
both died many years ago. Mr. French retired from the tailoring 
business about 1880, and for several years has resided at the Odd 
Fellows' Home at Concord. About 1855, D. M. Burpee was a 
leading tailor of the village, occupying the north store in Coburn's 
block. This store was occupied for a number of years by R. H. 
Thompson, merchant tailor. William S. Roach was also a mer- 
chant tailor occupying this store from 1858 to 1861, when he en- 
listed in the Seventh Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, and 
served over three years in the army. After the war he made his 
home at Newmarket, where he is still living. Samuel F. Brown 
managed this tailor shop a few years, and James I. Tucker also 
tried the business there for a short term. Norman D. Corser had 
a tailor shop in the Knowlton block about 1865. While there he 
made the set of gray uniforms for Brown's Cornet Band, which 
were considered the finest uniforms in the state at that time. Mr. 
Corser was a prominent member of the W. I. Brown Post, No. 31, 
G. A. R. He married a daughter of Horace Sessions and removed 
to the West about 1871 or '72. He now resides at Salt Lake City. 



74 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

For several years past there have been no tailor shops in the 
village, the citizens being supplied from the shops at Concord and 
elsewhere, or from the ready-made clothing stores in the village. 

BLACKSMITHS. 

The blacksmith trade has al\va}'s been well represented in the 
village. After Warren Johnson, who was the first in this line, the 
next name found is Jeremiah Ha}'nes, a brother-in-law of John A. 
Coburn, and a zealous member of the Baptist church. Mr. Ha}'nes 
had a shop on the ground now occupied by the ofifice of the cabi- 
net shop, which was a busy place about the time when the Pena- 
cook canal and mill were building. After the Penacook mill was 
started up that blacksmith shop was moved to the east end of the 
rear mill }'ard, where it remained until about 1898 and was then 
torn down. Mr. Haynes ran the brick grist-mill a few years about 
1850, and then removed to Bristol, N. H. 

John J. Morrill, father of Mrs. John Danforth, was the Boscawen 
side blacksmith for several years from about 1845 ^o 1855. His 
shop was near the site of the Alexander Sanitarium. 

James M. Gay had a blacksmith shop in Mechanicks Lane 
about 1850, and resided for a short time in the house now 
owned by the Chadwick sisters. 

William and Henry Dow had a blacksmith shop on Main street 
about 1850, near the present residence of S. G. Noyes. 

The later blacksmiths include Thaddeus O. Wilson, a very tall, 
powerful man, who worked many years at the shops of the Con- 
cord Axle Company. He was a deacon of the Congregational 
church, and the leading bass singer in the choir for a whole gene- 
ration. His death occurred within the last year (1898). 

Theophilus Blake was both blacksmith and machinist, working at 
the repair shop of the Penacook mill for twent}' years or more. 
He was a skilful workman, of excellent mechanical abilit}', and 
still does some light work at his shop near his residence on North 
Main street. Philip C. Clough was one of the earlier blacksmiths 
who lived for some )-ears in the house at the foot of Elm street, 
and later built the house on Summer street occupied for many 
years by Dr. Topliff. Mr. Clough had two sons both of whom 
were soldiers in the Union Army. Charles F. Norris, blacksmith, 
died June 6, 185 i . 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 75 

Israel Drown, the older brother of Albert and Leonard, came to 
the village about 1847. He took the shop in the Penacook mill 
yard and remained in the village some twenty years or more. 
His brother Leonard came to work at the same shop at the time 
when L. & A. H. Drown began the manufacture of wagon axles. 
Leonard did all the forging of axles for several years, until the call 
for volunteer soldiers in 1861, when he left the shop never to 
return. He raised a compan}'' for the Second Regiment, New 
Hampshire Volunteers, and was commissioned captain. He was 
the first commissioned officer from the state who was killed in bat- 
tle in the Civil War. He fell while leading his company at the 
battle of Williamsburg, Va., May 5. 1862. Mr. Drown was a 
brother-in-law of John S. Brown, an upright and exemplary man, 
a superior workman, and a splendid soldier. 

The blacksmith shop now owned by Samuel G. Sanborn was 
built in 1853 by Isaac G. Howe, a brother of A. G. Howe, the 
painter. Mr. Howe carried on the business at that shop until 
1 86 1, when he removed to Manchester, where he has since been 
employed at the railroad repair shop. ■ True Dennis took the shop 
next for a }xar or two, and was followed by Albert Thompson 
who kept the fires burning for two or three years, and later worked 
a time at the axle shops and then moved to Epping. 

In 1865 Edgerly & Willis took up the business there, and the 
following year sold out to Job S. Davis, who ran the shop for one 
year and then sold out to B. E. Rogers in 1867. Rogers did not 
care to sta}' more than one year, and Job S. Davis again took the 
shop in 1868. The next proprietors were Labonte Bros., and 
they were followed by Partridge & Tenney. 

In 1874 the shop was purchased by Samuel G. Sanborn, who 
has conducted the business successfully up to the present date. 
Mr. Sanborn enlarged the shop and added carriage repairing to 
the business, and some of the proceeds of his industry are seen in a 
comfortable home on Main street and a tenement block on L'nion 
street. 

Augustus H. Davis, son of Job S. Davis, learned the black- 
smith trade of T. O. Wilson at the Axle Works shops; beginning 
in 1868, he has continued work there up to the present date ( 1901 ). 
For many years past he has been the toolsmith for the works, and 



76 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

has probably made and tempered more steel tools than any 
man in the state. In that line of work he is particularly skilful, 
using brains as well as a charcoal fire for the process. 

Among other blacksmiths who have worked at the axle shops 
were the Fellows Brothers, the Green Brothers, Samuel N. Bur- 
dick, and others who have served for a few years, the present 
blacksmith for job work being Ernest Taylor, who came to the 
village from Manchester during the past year. 

The late George W. Brockway was another of the blacksmiths. 
He came to the village from West Concord about 1865, and 
worked at that trade in different shops for quite a number of years. 

At the Borough there has been a blacksmith shop in connec- 
tion with a carriage repair shop, operated at times by the late 
John D. Fife, by Alonzo Elliott and others, and at present ( 1901 ) by 
Charles F. Holmes. 

Edward McShane came to the village some ten years ago, and 
took the blacksmith shop at the corner of Main and Pleasant 
streets on the Boscawen side, where he has conducted a successful 
business in that line and built a very neat residence. 

The latest shop in this line is located on East Canal street, and 
owned by Henry Heywood, who came to the village within the 
last two years, and appears to have plenty of work at all seasons 
of the year. 

SHOEMAKERS. 

In the early days of the village, and for a whole generation, 
there were a good supply of shoemakers, — men who made boots 
and shoes complete, as well as repairing them, a trade now obso- 
lete in the village, ready-made boots and shoes being now sup- 
plied from large factories at much lower prices, and of better 
quality than the old hand-made goods. One of those who kept 
the old style shoemaker's shops was Jacob P. Sanders, father of 
Charles H. Sanders, who was located for a time in the basement 
of the Washington House, and later in the Graphic block. James 
Marsh kept a shoe shop in the Coburn block, about 1850, for a 
few years, and then removed to Franklin, N. H. David Marsh, a 
brother of James, kept a shoe shop in the early years, located for 
a time in the Knowlton block, and later in the Andrew Linehan 
store buildincT. 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. J"] 

Among the journeymen workmen at these shops the most prom- 
inent were Maj. Tilden Kimball, Thomas Savory, and (Dr.) Ste- 
phen H. Currier, all excellent workmen, and men of marked char- 
acteristics. E. P. Lowater, one of the original class leaders of the 
Methodist church, was another of the workmen in this line. John 
Jameson and his sons, Cyrus and William, were also longtime work- 
men at the bench. The younger brother, William, a veteran of 
the Seventh N. H. Vols., still lives in a neighboring town, and is 
occasionally seen on the village streets. Samuel Cheney was 
another of the old line shoemakers, and a skilful workman. His 
brother, Stephen Cheney, was a tanner and currier by trade, and 
did a little business at currying leather in the house just in the rear 
of Graphic block. 

The present representative of the shoemakers is M. Fournier, 
who has a shop on Merrimack street near Washington square. 

CARPENTERS. 

The carpenter trade has had a full representation in the village 
from the earliest days. Capt. John Sawyer was one of the first 
carpenters on the Concord side. His residence in 1840, and for 
many years, was a brick cottage standing on the ground now cov- 
ered by Exchange block, and his barn was on the spot now occu- 
pied by Graphic block. The brick cottage was moved in 1870 
a few rods west to Washington street, and is now the residence 
of Charles Barnet. Captain Sawyer owned considerable land which 
he sold for building lots in the village, giving him a considerable 
income. 

Timothy Abbott, father of Charles Abbott, the veteran drummer, 
was another of the early carpenters. He built his dwelling house 
on the south side of Commercial street, just at the top of the hill 
above the Harris mill, somewhere about 1830. John Johnson, 
a brother-in-law of Timothy Abbott, was also a carpenter. His 
residence was on Queen street, a few rods west of the Hubbard 
homestead. He purchased the old Union schoolhouse that stood 
on Brown's hill, and moved it to Queen street, opposite his resi- 
dence, and used it for a carpenter shop several years. In that 
shop he made cofifTins for a whole generation. None of the family 
now resides in the village. 



78 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

In 1850, while the village was growing fast, there were thirty- 
one names of carpenters on the village directory; of those only a 
single one is still in the village, that one being Hazen Knowlton, who 
is still in vigorous health at his residence near the railroad station. 
Isaac K. Connor was a carpenter in the village for several years, 
and is now a highly respected citizen of Warner, and carries his 
years lightly. Samuel Ellsworth (father of Charles J.) and John 
Ellsworth were both in the ranks of the carpenters, but John Ells- 
worth was later one of the postmasters. Rodney Hadley was one 
of the list who remained here several years. John C. Morrill was 
an older man than most of the carpenters of that day. He built 
the Halloran house now standing next south of the office of the 
axle works. Phineas B. Pearsons was another of the oldest car- 
penters ; a heav}% rotund person, of a genial disposition and power- 
ful voice. He is remembered as making the best wheelbarrows 
to be found in the vicinity. His daughter, Mrs. Jno. Shepard, was 
the mother of a veteran townsman, Charles P. Shepard. The 
Stark family, father (Samuel) and sons, were here in 1850, and 
two of the sons, Charles and Jerome, lived here a long time, and 
built or helped build more houses than any others on the list, ex- 
cept John G. Warren, who held the record for the longest actual 
service as a carpenter and builder of the village. His skill at the 
trade is fully inherited by his son Frank, who resides at Concord. 
Mr. Warren built and resided for many years in the large house 
on the west side of Church street, nearest Summer street. 

Another of the old-time carpenters was Dea. Eldad Tenney, a 
most exemplary Christian man, who built in 1847 the residence 
now owned by John B. Dodge. He was emplo}'ed for several 
years in the repair shop of the Penacook mill. Charles W. Hardy 
was here as early as 1850, and lived until the year 1899. His first 
residence was the cottage on High street, now owned by Miss Julia 
Abbott; later on he built and occupied the J. C. Linehan house, 
and later still, built the present residence on High street. Mr. 
Hardy was the tallest and largest of all the carpenters, and was 
also the finest workman of all. Isaac P. Durgin was another of 
the later year carpenters, who was emplo\'ed at the repair shop of 
the Penacook mill several years. His son, Eddie C. Durgin, is a 
leading man in the trade at the present day, being a member of 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 79 

the firm of Taylor, Durgin & Sebra, organized in 1887, which em- 
ploys most of the carpenters now residing in the village. 

Other names that have been or are now in this trade are Dea. 
J. C. Martin and his son Daniel, also his two stepsons, George and 
Grant Messerve; Lowell Elliott, Stephen Wiggin and his son 
Charles, Charles Smith, Timothy C. Rolfe and his son Henry, 
Charles H. Barnet, George Provo, James C. Brooks, and Law- 
rence Rolfe. William P. Chandler, one of the fourth generation 
from John Chandler, who built the old hotel, is a carpenter and 
builder, employing several men, and has built a large number of 
houses in the village. 

There is one more wood worker, though not a carpenter, who 
should be mentioned in this place, that is John Harris, pattern 
maker and draughtsman. Mr. Harris was born in England and 
learned his trade there. His father was an expert engineer, who 
was emplo)-ed in building the engines for the famous steamer 
Great Eastern, and served on board during the first trip of that 
vessel across the Atlantic. Mr. Harris came to this country in 
1866 and immediately commenced work for D, Arthur Brown & 
Co., at the Concord Axle Works, and has continued in the same 
situation to the present day. He is undoubtedly the most thorough 
mechanic that ever worked at the bench in the village, and the 
work that comes from his hands is very near absolute perfection. 
Mr. Harris has served as an officer in the city government, is a 
Past Master of Horace Chase Lodge, F. & A. Masons, and a prom- 
inent member of the Episcopal church. 

PHYSICIANS. 

Of the ph}-sicians of the village, Dr. William H. Hosmcr, who 
came from Newport in 1848, now retired from practice, holds the 
preeminence in length of service. 

The next in length of practice was his brother-in-law, Stephen 
M. Emery, who resided here somewhat earlier than Dr. Hosmer, 
coming to the village from Canterbury soon after 1840. His first 
residence was in the brick basement house on Main street, just 
south of the Samuel R. Mann homestead. Soon after 1850 Dr. 
Emery purchased the Union Hall property, and converted it into 
a residence, where he spent the remainder of his life. The home- 
stead is now owned by Dr. A. C. Alexander. 



80 HISTORY OF TEXACOOK. 

Dr. J. F. Sargent and Dr. O. A. Blancling were doing business 
under the firm name of Sargent & Blanding before 1850, their 
ofifice being in the Dr. Little block on Washington square. Neither 
of them remained long in the village. Dr. Sargent removed to 
Concord, where his son Joseph is still living. 

Dr. Knight came here from Lowell about 1875 and practised a 
few years in the village, and then removed to Florida. 

Dr. Taplin also came to the village and practised a short time 
about 1880. 

Dr. Charles C. Topliff practised for several }-ears (1870 to 
1880) in the village, while keeping the drug store in Exchange 
block. 

Dr. E. E. Graves began his professional labors at Boscawen 
Plain, being the successor of Dr. E. K. Webster there about 1868. 
He soon had calls to attend patients in this village, and opened 
an office in Sanders block in 1870, and has had an increasing 
business in the village up to the present date. In 1898 he pur- 
chased the fine homestead property formerl}' occupied b}- Hon. 
Charles H. Amsden, and moved his family to the village. 

The late Dr. Alfred E. Emery was a native of Concord, and 
began his practice as an assistant surgeon in the United States 
navy during the Civil War. After the war he first settled in Con- 
necticut, where he practised fifteen }'ears ; he then came to Pena- 
cook in 1879, where he remained until his death in May, 1900. 
His residence and office were on Main street, just south of Wash- 
ington square. He had quite a large practice, and filled several 
public ofifices. 

Dr. Anson C. Alexander came to Penacook in 1881, soon after' 
the completion of his medical studies. He succeeded to the prac- 
tice of the late Dr. S. M. Emery, and occupied the Emery resi- 
dence. His ofifice was for several years in the Knowlton block, 
but in 1890 he purchased the Mechanics block, and fitted up a 
very convenient set of ofifices on the second floor, w^here he has 
remained to the present date. He has given much study to the 
production of specific remedies, the most notable being his spe- 
cific for the cure of cancer. This has made his name known 
throughout this whole country as well as in foreign lands. 

Dr. H. C. Holbrook began practice in the \'illage in 1884, 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 8 1 

opening an office in Exchange block, and by his energy and zeal 
in his profession has attained to a large practice. He has a fine 
residence on Pleasant street. 

Dr. A. J. Rowe, a young ph\'sician, has recently located in the 
village, having an office in the dwelling house of the late Dr. 
A. E. Emery. 

LAWYERS. 

The legal profession has had but few representatives in Pena- 
cook. Judge Nehemiah Butler was admitted to the Merrimack 
county bar in 1848, and came immediately to Penacook to begin 
the practice of his profession. He had an office over the old 
Gage store for a number of years, and later built an office on 
Chandler street. From 1852 to i860 he was clerk of the courts 
at Concord, after which he was in practice in Penacook until his 
decease in 1883. From 1876 he was the probate judge for Mer- 
rimack county. Judge Butler began writing fire insurance soon 
after he was established here, and continued that branch of his 
business during life. 

S. B. Chase was one of the early lawyers of the village, having 
an office over the old Batcheldcr store in 1849, but remained only 
a short time. 

Hon. Samuel M. Wheeler was located in the village about the 
same time as S. B. Chase, having an office on the second floor of 
the Coburn block. He moved to Dover soon after 1850, where 
he became one of the leading law\'ers of the state, and also 
attained political eminence. 

Hon. James F. Briggs of Manchester studied law in the office 
of Judge Butler about 1850, but did not practise here. 

A. S. Alexander practised law in the village between the years 
1850 and i860. 

John C. Kilburn was also located in the village at the same 
period, and died in i860. 

Hon. Willis G. Buxton succeeded to the law and insurance 
business of Judge Butler in 1883, the insurance branch being 
conducted under the firm name of Gage, Buxton & Co. until the 
death of Mr. Gage, and later under the firm name of Buxton 
& Sherburne. Mr. Buxton has been prominent in town and 
school affairs, and has been honored b}- election to the legislature 
7 



82 HISTORY OF PEN AC 00 K. 

of the state, both as representative and as a senator. He is one 
of the water board of the Penacook and Boscawen water precinct, 
and treasurer of the precinct. 

David F. Dudley came to the village in 1883, and began the 
practice of law, having his office for most of the time at his resi- 
dence on High street. In 1887 he established an office at Con- 
cord, where he has since spent most of his time, but still retains 
his residence in the village. He has been called to serve the citi- 
zens as a member of the city government several years, both in 
the council and in the board of aldermen. He is now (1901) 
solicitor for Merrimack county. 

BARBERS. 

Barbers have been in the village ever since the village was large 
enough to support one, but before the first shop was opened 
William H. Allen "cut hair" quite often for his friends and 
acquaintances. Charlie Rowell, the overseer of the spinning- 
room in the Penacook mill, was also quite expert with the shears, 
as the boys who worked under him will remember. 

The first regular barber shop was kept by a colored man 
named Toney, in the basement of the Granite block. 

Philip Wentworth was one of the early barbers, having a shop 
in the basement of the Washington House for some years, and 
later for a considerable length of time in the Dr. Little block. 

Oscar F. French, a son of O. N. French, had a barber shop in 
Mechanics block for quite a number of years. 

The man who served the longest term at the business was 
B. Frank Morse, a veteran of the Fifth Regiment, N. H. Vols., who 
lost a leg at the battle of Antictam in 1862. He kept a shop in 
the basement of the Washington House about thirty-five years, 
and in all those years his shop was the most popular and best 
patronized of any in the village. Frank was blessed with the 
heartiest laugh ever heard in the place, which required onh' the 
slightest provocation to set it in full operation. No man ever 
lived here who did more to " drive dull care awa)'," and his jovial 
presence will long be remembered by the citizens. Since his 
death, in 1898, the business has been conducted by his son Frank 
and David E. Toomey. 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 83 

Harris Gregg has kept a shop in Mechanics block for sev^eral 
years, near the old stand of Oscar French. 

On the Boscawen side there has been a barber's shop in the 
old Gage store building more or less of the time. Elias Neild 
was located there for several years. 

James Devlin has had a shop for the last year or two in the 
basement of Granite block, the location of the first shop opened 
in the village. 

UNDERTAKERS. 

In the earl}'- days of the village undertakers and burial caskets 
were unknown names. . John Johnson, who lived on Queen street, 
made cofifins of pine boards and stained them with Venetian red, 
for such customers as came to him. CofTins were not kept in 
stock, but each one was made when needed for use, and made to 
measure. In the later years of his life Johnson used for his coflfin 
shop the old Union schoolhouse, which formerly stood on Cres- 
cent street, and later on Brown's hill. 

Shortly after John A. Coburn, the harness maker, came to the 
village, he began to trim those plain wood cofifins made by John- 
son, lining them and preparing them for use, and this gradually 
grew into the undertaking and funeral conducting business which 
Mr. Coburn carried on for a whole generation. He retired from 
business in 1879, selling out to Fifield & Hubbard, who are still 
in the business. 

J. F. Hastings, who was emploj-ed by J. A. Coburn for nine 
years, set up in business for himself in 1875, as undertaker and 
harness maker, in the Chadwick block, where he has continued to 
the present date. 

DENTISTS. 

Probably no class of men have produced so much acute pain 
in the community as the dentists. The first in this profession to 
locate in the village was Dr. Henry D. White, who came from Hop- 
kinton about 1845. He had rooms on the second floor of Mechan- 
ics block, where he did work in his line for a whole generation. 
Dr. White was a man of excellent natural abilities, good education, 
and did thorough work. He resided at Concord with his daugh- 
ter several of his later years, and died there in 1895. 



84 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

Dr. J. W. Little, dentist, came to the village from Salisbury 
about 1848. He built the large block on the east side of Wash- 
ington square. He practised his profession there for several 
years, subsequently removing his business to Concord, where he 
resided for the remainder of his life. 

One of the ambitious boys of the village, David D. Smith, 
worked in the mills and machine shop until he saved up money 
enough to carry himself through a course of study at the dental 
college in Philadelphia. On the completion of his college course 
he returned to this village, and opened his first ofifice for work 
over the old Allen store in 1858. He remained here but a few 
}'ears, and then moved to Philadelphia, where his energy and 
ability have carried him to the top rounds of the ladder in that 
profession. He has been lecturer and a member of the faculty of 
the dental college, and has written many valuable papers on sub- 
jects pertaining to the profession. In addition to his studies as a 
dentist he has taken a full course of study in medicine, and is a 
competent physician as well as dentist. Dr. Smith is often called 
to lecture before dental societies and conventions in different sec- 
tions of the country, but still continues the active practice of his 
profession, in which he has secured a competenc}'. He has a 
beautiful home at Germantown, in which is a fine library and 
many samples of the fine arts. Dr. Smith is a veteran of the 
Civil War, having served as quartermaster-sergeant in the Six- 
teenth Regiment, N. H. Vols. 

Dr. James H. French, dentist, another veteran soldier, came to 
the village from Manchester soon after the war, and opened his 
office in Exchange block, where he practised his profession for a 
long term of years. Dr. French was a man of fine presence, a 
musician of considerable attainments, a skilful workman, and an 
excellent moderator at the town-meetings, to which office he was 
elected many years. Dr. French was prominent in Masonic and 
Grand Army affairs, holding office in both organizations contin- 
uously for many years. 

The profession is at present represented in the \illage by Dr. 
A. L. Parker, who came from the northern part of the state in 1897, 
and opened his rooms in Sanders block. Dr. Parker is also quite 
prominent in Grange matters, holding office in that organization. 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 85 

Dr. E. W. Rowe came to the village in 1900, and began work 
in the Knowlton block, but later fitted up a suite of rooms in Me- 
chanics block in exactly the same spot where the first dentist 
rooms were located by Dr. White fift}-six }'ears ago. 

HARNESS-MAKERS. 

The harness-maker's trade has been monopolized almost entirely 
during the first generation of the village by John A. Coburn, who 
came from Boscawen Plain about 1845, 'i'""^' built the block on the 
east side of Main street over the canal. His harness shop on the 
north side of the building was a busy place for several years, as 
well as a favorite resort for those who wished to hear or tell the 
news of the da}'. 

Mr. Coburn was followed in the business by O. J. Fifield, and 
he by William F. Hoyt, who now carries on the business at the old 
stand. 

J. F. Hastings, a former workman at Coburn's shop, has carried 
on the harness business in the Chadwick block for a score of years. 

DEPOT MASTERS. 

The depot masters, as the}' were formerly called, but now sta- 
tion agents, have from their position been prominently connected 
with the business interests of the village. The first to take that 
position when the Northern Railroad was opened, was E. L. York, 
a man later connected with the dr}^ goods business. Seth Hoyt, 
father of J. Irving Hoyt, next took the place for a short term. He 
was followed by Daniel Fox, father of D. Warren Fox, a man of 
decided opinions and a good voice to give them expression. He 
was a strictly reliable and capable officer, and served nearly 
twenty years, when he retired on account of failing health. 

William A. Huntress came next, but filled the position only a 
few years. 

Henr}- E. Chamberlain took the place in 1865, and held the po- 
sition until 1893, when he resigned to accept the position of super- 
intendent of the Concord Street Railwa}'. Mr. Chamberlain had 
served the patrons of the railroad so acceptably that at the conclu- 
sion of his term he was presented with a valuable watch and chain 
by the patrons of the railroad. 



86 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

After Mr. Chamberlain's resignation W. T. G. Finley took the 
place for a few months, and in August, 1893, Wm. H. Meserve, the 
present agent, began his service, having charge of both freight and 
passenger departments. The first passenger train coming to 
Fisherville on the Northern Railroad was on December i, 1846. 
The railroad from Nashua to Concord had been opened since Sep- 
tember, 1842. Regular trains to Franklin began running Decem- 
ber 28, 1846. The freight and passenger stations in the village 
were built in 1846 by John G. Warren, who also built the Ams- 
den storehouse adjoining the freight station in 1857. Train 
service through to Lebanon was begun November 17, 1847. 

TEAMING. 

The teaming business for the village was first in the hands of 
Leonard Morrison and Asa M. Gage. They hauled the machinery 
for the old Contoocook mill from Concord before the Northern 
Railroad was built. 

Asa H. Morrill and his brother, Moses Morrill, were in the team- 
ing business for a good many years. 

George Frank Sanborn was also one of the early teamsters who 
has kept in the same business almost up to the present time. A con- 
siderable part of his work has been moving granite from the quar- 
ries at West Concord ; probably the largest part of all the granite 
used in the village has been handled by Mr. Sanborn. 

B. Frank Varney is another of the men who has done the 
teaming in past years; his specialty for many years was hauling 
logs from the timber lots, in which work he was ver}' expert. Mr. 
Varney uses his teams also for farm work for himself and others. 
He is a veteran of the Second Regiment, N. H. Vols., and is prom- 
inent in Grand Army affairs as well as in the Grange, which organ- 
ization was started by him in this village. 

Henry H. Morrill is another of the teaming fratcrnit}', although 
he docs other work besides teaming. Moving buildings is his 
specialty, and he does more or less work on foundations for 
buildings as well as teaming logs and lumber. 

Teaming freight from and to the railroad station was for man)- 
years in the hands of the Bean family, Moses, Joshua, and 
Charles; each had the management of that business for a time, but 



i 



STORES, STOREKEEPERS, SHOPS, ETC. 87 

Charles had it in hand for the longest term. After his death the 
business was continued by his son, Charles N. Bean, who sold out 
to Davis Bros, in 1889. The Davis brothers came from Warner, 
and increased the teaming business b\' taking up other lines of 
work, one of which was hauling granite from the stone-sheds at 
Concord to the polishing shops on Water street, and returning it 
there after it was polished. 

In 1893 E. H. Davis sold his interest to his brother Everett L. 
Davis, who has since conducted the business alone. Mr. Da\'is 
also does a considerable business in wood, coal, and ice. 

Another line of teaming, carrying freight and packages to and 
from Concord, sometimes called an express business, has engaged 
one or more teams daily for many years. That business has 
passed through man}' hands, but has been mostly in the hands of 
Wm. B. Cunningham for the last ten }'ears or more. 

PAINTERS. 

Among the early painters was John H. Willard who lived for 
some years on Merrimack street, about 1850, in the house now 
occupied by Charles Abbott. Mr. Willard was an excellent 
tenor singer and kept several terms of singing-school in the old 
chapel. He had in his famil\' two young nieces, Julia and Etta 
Wright, whom he had trained in singing and with whom he did 
some concert work. Miles Wallace was a painter in the village in 
1849. 

Mr. Hiram Haynes, father of Moses and Charles Haynes, was 
an excellent workman at the painters' trade and did a large 
amount of work in the village during the years of its rapid growth. 

Alpheus G. Howe was a foreman of painters, and did the lead- 
ing business in that line for several years. 

Alvin H. Urann, whose place of business was at the Borough, 
was in the painting business for several years, his specialty being 
roof painting. 

William A. Huntress had a paint shop at the Pantheon block 
some years. Samuel Holt was one of the journeyman painters, 
and in 1850 was in the firm of Bean & Holt. William O. Dyer 
also handled the paint brush for a number of }'ears. Later on 
James C. Bowen went into the painting business, and still re- 



88 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

mains in the business. The brothers, Charles and Moses Haynes, 
have been the leading painters for some years ; both are veterans 
of the Civil War, and both are very skilful workmen. Other 
names in this line at the present date are Truman Carter, Henry 
Bean, and Charles Davis. 

BAKERS. 

The bakeries of the village have been established but a few 
years, the oldest stand in that line being that of Frank E. Bean 
in the north half of the Chadwick block on Main street. This was 
established in 1876 by Harlow & Bean. In 1878 Harlow sold 
out to his partner, Frank E. Bean, who continued alone until 1888, 
when he sold a half interest in the business to his brother, W, 
Andrew Bean, and the firm name was then Bean Brothers. In 
1890 Frank E. bought out his brother's interest, and started the 
business again in his own name. This time he continued about 
three years and then sold the whole business to Cutler & Packard. 
It appears that Mr. Bean could not be contented outside of the 
bakery, as he bought the business back again in 1893, and has 
continued to the present date, having a thriving business. 

In 1895 Mr. Cutler established a bakery in the block at the 
southwest corner of Washington and Main streets, with a store for 
the sale of candies, ice cream, and fancy goods connected. He 
also engaged in the catering business. In 1898 he leased the 
remainder of the block and fitted it up for a hotel, and is doing 
a good amount of business in both lines. 

-MASONS. 

The masons of the village were more numerous from 1846 to 
1850 than in later years. Some of the names on the Fisherville 
Directory of 1849 were John Foss, Oilman Morrill, John Forsaith, 
Henry Swett, J. H. Whittier, and Daniel S. Woodward, all of 
whom were stone masons. Of these John Foss remained in the 
village during his life. He left one son, who resided at Manches- 
ter until his decease in 1898. His daughter, Sarah Foss. resided 
in the village many years, but moved to Manchester several years 
ago. Oilman Morrill, father of Henry and Ruel Morrill, did a 
large amount of stone work, in company with John Foss, for eel- 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 89 

lars and foundation walls. John Forsaith and J. H. Whittier 
remained in the village but a few years. Henry Swett caught the 
gold fever and went to California in 1849 or 1850, and died soon 
after his return. Daniel S. Woodward remained in the village 
several years. He built the large house on Crescent street known 
as the Gahagan house, and later removed to Hill, N. H., where 
one of his sons is still in business. 

Perley Knowles was a brick mason and plasterer; he came to 
the village from Canterbury and built the house now owned by 
Oscar E. Smith. His oldest son, Charles, worked a few years at 
the trade before the family moved to River Falls, Wis., where 
both father and son resumed the occupation and the son is still 
in the business. The father died in 1899. 

Hcnr}' Knowlton was another brick mason and plasterer as 
early as 1846, and was joined by his younger brothers, Charles 
and Alonzo, some years later. Charles left the village about 
1855, but Alonzo has continued his residence in the village to the 
present date, though doing but little work at his trade in these 
later years. 

George Neller with his brother William and his brother-in-law, 
Fred Williams, has done most of the mason work for the last 
ten }'ears or more. 



CHAPTER III. 

CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIP.RARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 

In the early days, before any churches were organized in the 
village, religious services, preaching, prayer meetings, and Sunday- 
schools were held in schoolhouses and private residences. The 
first clergyman residing in the village was Rev. Moses Elliott, 
usually called Priest Elliott, who had a small farm on Queen 
street, a good but eccentric man, who invariably ended his dis- 
courses with a fer\-id disquisition on the millenium. He was of 
the Congregational faith, and did considerable pastoral work in 
addition to cultivating his farm. 

Elder John Harriman, a Christian Baptist clergyman, resided 



90 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

across the river on the Canterbury side, but was often called to 
the village for religious services. For a time he preached quite 
regularly at the Borough schoolhouse, and baptized a considera- 
ble number of converts in the outlet near the Eben Elliott house. 
Elder Harriman was a broad-shouldered man, having an immense 
head of hair hanging down on his shoulders ; a striking figure, 
not easily forgotten. 

There were two women, wives of Joseph and James Elliott, who 
preached occasionally, and the old Elliott homestead, which stood 
on the site of the Washington House, was often used for religious 
services. 

Dea. Abial Rolfe, an uncle of Capt. Nathaniel Rolfe, though 
not a clergyman, was very prominent in religious matters for 
many years, holding meetings and doing much that might be 
called pastoral work. To show the zeal of Deacon Rolfe, it may 
be stated that on Sundays he would hold a Sunday-school in the 
Union schoolhouse at an early morning hour, then harness up his 
horse and drive to the old North church at Concord, of which 
church he was a deacon, and attend the forenoon service; then 
drive home and get dinner, after which he again harnessed up his 
horse and drove to Horse Hill, where he held a Sunday-school 
and pra}xr meeting at the schoolhouse. Deacon Rolfe was uni- 
versally beloved and respected by the entire community ; disputes 
and quarrels were usually referred to him, and his decisions were 
always accepted by both sides. In all questions of lands and 
bounds his word was law. He was a surveyor by occupation, 
and survc}'cd the land and marked the bounds of nearly all the 
farms in the vicinity. So highly was he esteemed for his religious 
life, that while in personal conversation with himself no person ever 
used profane or vulgar language. After the church at West Con- 
cord was formed Deacon Rolfe withdrew from the old North church 
at Concord and united with the West Concord church. He was 
quite a remarkable man, and it is also quite remarkable that so 
little mention is made of him in Rev. Dr. Bouton's History of 
Concord. 

The first church building in Pcnacook was erected in 1843, and 
dedicated on October 12th by the Christian denomination, who 
began services there, on completion of the building, with I'^Jder 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 9 1 

A. C. Morrison for pastor. This society held regular services in 
the church until 1848, and then sold the building to the First 
Congregational society. The Christian society did not, however, 
give up their services at that date, but continued holding their 
meetings at the Washington hall for three or four years longer. 
The desk was supplied by a large number of preachers, among 
whom were Elders Elias Shaw, John Harriman, John Gillingham, 
Joseph Elliott, George W. Hutchinson, Edward B. Rollins, J. M. 
Smith, Peter Hussey, William M. Morrill, Moses Policy, Sleeper, 
Fairfield, Kidder, Burden, and Young. 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH AND SOCIETY. 

Previous to 1845 some of the citizens of Penacook, who belonged 
to the Baptist denomination, attended church at Boscawen Plain, 
in the Baptist meeting-house, which stood a few rods south of the 
brick store. 

The first mo\-ement to secure Baptist preaching in Penacook 
was made by the brothers Henry H. and John S. Brown, who 
purchased the dry goods store of Crosby & Gage, refitted it for 
use as a church, and named it Union hall. They secured the ser- 
vices of Rev. Edmund Worth of Concord for preacher, and began 
Sunda}' services there about February, 1845. Union hall stood 
on the site of Dr. A. C. Alexander's residence. One half of the 
hall is now the ell of the residence, and the remaining half is a 
part of the stable. 

On July 19, 1845, a preliminar}' meeting of Baptists was held 
at the house of Dea. David Brown, to canvass the subject of estab- 
lishing a Baptist church. At an adjourned meeting one week 
later it was resolved to form the " First Baptist Church of Fisher- 
ville," and they invited the Baptist churches of Concord and other 
towns to meet in council on August 6, 1845, to take action on 
public recognition of the new church. 

The council met on that date and formally recognized the 
church, then organized with Rev. Pxlmund Worth as pastor, David 
Brown and Benjamin Hoyt as deacons, and Henr}- H. Brown as 
clerk. There were thirt}'-three original members of this church, 
whose names were as follows : 



92 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Allen, William H., and wife, Chloe F. Allen. 
Allen, Ebenezer W., and wife, Caroline Allen. 
Brown, David, and wife, Eunice Brown. 
Brown, Henry H., and wife, Mary A. D. Brown. 

Brown, John S., Hannah M. Brown. 

Brown, Samuel F., Martha A. Brown. 

Clough, Philip C, and wife, Luc}- Clough. 
Eastman, Luke, and wife, Sarah Eastman. 

Hoyt, Benjamin, Sarah E. Call. 

Haynes, Jeremiah A., and wife, Sarah L. Haynes. 
Simpson, Hiram, and wife, Mary S. Simpson. 
Tewksbury, Jacob L., and wife, Joanna Tewksbury. 

Hale, Joseph, Martha A. Cowell. 

Worth, Edmund, Sarah A. Burpee. 

Mary Dickerman. 

Sarah C. Eastman. 

Lucretia Johnson. 

Martha A. Perkins. 

Maria Webster. 

This church was admitted to membership in the Salisbury 
Association of Baptist churches in September, 1845. 

On March 20, 1846, the First Baptist Society was organized to 
conduct the business affairs of the church, with fourteen original 
members, whose names were as follows : Edmund Worth, David 
Brown, Henry H. Brown, Benjamin Hoyt, John S. Brown, Samuel 
F. Brown, William H. Allen, Philip C. Clough, Jeremiah A. 
Haynes, Ebenezer W. Allen, Jeremiah Burpee, Jr., George Puffer, 
Hiram Simpson, Levi R. Nichols. 

The first officers of this corporation were : Samuel F. Brown, 
clerk; John S. Brown, treasurer; William H. Allen, Henry H. 
Brown, and Hiram Simpson, standing committee. 

Of all the original members of the church and society only one, 
John S. Brown, born February 26, 1809, is now living (January, 
1901). 

The Baptists remained at Union hall until September, 1849, 
when, by reason of an increasing congregation, they found it nec- 
essary to look for a larger room, and secured the Graphic hall. 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS. I.H3RARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 93 

then just completed, which hall is still used for religious services 
by the Methodist church. Four years later, in 1853, the Baptists 
moved back to the Boscawen side of the river, and leased the 
meeting-house built by the Christian denomination in 1843, which 
they used for Sunday services, and while there occupied the Gran- 
ite hall, also a room in the Coburn block, for ex'cning meetings. 

As early as 1847 the Baptists began talking of building a 
church for their own use, but financial difficulties caused a post- 
ponement of the matter for ten years. In 1857 it was decided to 
build a house of worship, and a committee consisting of John S. 
Brown, Dana W. Pratt, and Samuel Merriam was chosen to pro- 
cure plans, raise the necessary funds, and have general charge of 
building and furnishing the church. Mr. John S. Brown gave a 
large amount of his time and labor to the enterprise, and con- 
tributed a large portion of the funds. The church building was 
located on the northwest corner of Merrimac and Centre streets, 
on a lot of land donated for that purpose by the Contoocook 
Manufacturing & Mechanic Co., the front entrance being on 
Merrimac street, and a side entrance to the vestry on Centre 
street. 

The building is 80 x 52 feet on the ground, having a granite 
basement story, with the main building of wood with slate roof. 
A fineU' proportioned spire rises above the vestibule to a height 
of 150 feet. In the belfr\- is hung the largest bell in the village, 
on which the hours are struck by the hammer of the four-dial 
town clock located just below it. The main audience room con- 
tained sevent}--two pews on the floor, and enough in the gallery, 
which extended around three sides of the room, to furnish seating 
capacity for about six hundred and fifty people. A very fine organ, 
built by Hook of Boston at a cost of $2,050, was placed in the 
south gallery, at the opposite end of the room from the pulpit. 
The pews were upholstered, the floors carpeted complete, and the 
walls and ceiling tastefully frescoed. In the basement story the 
rooms were a vestry, or lecture room, with seats for two hundred 
and fifty persons, a smaller vestr}' for prayer meetings, a large 
parlor for the ladies' society, also a kitchen for the same, and a 
library room for the Sunda}'-school. All the fittings and furnish- 
ings were of the best, and when the church was completed it was 



94 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 




First Baptist Church. 



called the finest church in the state. The entire cost was $18,500, 
the funds being raised by subscription, and largely from the 
brothers, John S. and Henry H. Brown. 

The church was dedicated on September 8, 1858, the order of 
exercises being as follows: i. Organ voluntary. 2. Invocation, 
by Rev. D. J. Smith, pastor of the Methodist church. 3. Hymn 
No. 932, read by Rev. Mr. Eaton of Dunbarton. 4. Reading 
Scriptures, by Rev. A. W. Fiske, pastor of the Congregational 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 95 

church. 5. Prayer, by Rev. Mr. Damon of Bow. 6. Hymn No. 
941. 7. Dedication sermon b}' the pastor, Rev. Joseph Storer. 
8. Dedication prayer by the pastor. 9. Anthem by the choir. 
10. Benediction by Rev. Mr. Eaton. 

In 1872 the society built a larcje, substantial parsonage on the 
northeast corner of Merrimac and Centre streets. In this work 
Mr. John S. Brown was chairman of the building committee, and 
gave his time and labor in superintending the work, as he had 
previously done when building the church. The entire cost of 
the parsonage was $10,500, of which sum Charles H. Amsden 
and John A. Coburn contributed $500 each, and John S. Brown 
contributed the remainder. In later years the parsonage was 
found to be too large an establishment for economical use by 
pastors' families, and it was finally sold in 1896 to John Chad- 
wick, who has since occupied it as his homestead. The proceeds 
of the sale were used to pay the balance of the cost of repairs on 
the church, and $1,000 remaining was paid over to John S. 
Brown. 

In 1888, thirty years after building, the church was entirely 
remodeled and refurnished inside at a cost of $7,500, exclusive of 
the cost of the stained-glass memorial windows which were con- 
tributed mostly by individual members or their friends, as memo- 
rials of the following members: Henry H. Brown, John S. Brown, 
Samuel F. Brown, Eunice H. Brown (mother of Henry, John, and 
Samuel), Martha A. Brown, John A. Coburn, Abigail E. Fox, 
Rev. Edmund Worth (the first pastor), John Sawyer, Samuel 
Merriam, and Charles H. Amsden. 

In the main audience room the side galleries were cut shorter, 
the organ was moved to the north end of the room, the speaker's 
platform, the baptistry, and the choir gallery were all rebuilt, the' 
pews newly upholstered, new carpet laid, new chandelier and 
lighting fixtures hung, and the walls and ceiling frescoed, also all 
wood finish painted, varnished, or polished. These repairs, to- 
gether with the stained-glass windows, made a marked change in 
the appearance of the church, and were considered a great 
improvement. This work was done under the direction of a com- 
mittee consisting of Charles H. Amsden, Edmund H. Brown, and 
A. C. Alexander. 



96 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

The church was rededicated on March 14, 1889 (Thursday 
evening), with the following exercises: i. Organ voluntary. 2. 
Anthem by the choir, consisting of Harry A. Brown, tenor; Mrs. 
D. F. Dudle^^ soprano ; Grace A. Prescott, alto ; David A. Brown, 
bass. 3. Invocation by Rev. H. F. Thayer of Hopkinton. 4. 
Reading Scriptures by Rev. C. E. Milliken, pastor of the Congre- 
gational church. 5. Hymn No. 113, read by Rev. A. C. Coult, 
pastor of the Methodist church. 6. Hon. Charles H. Amsden, 
chairman of the building committee, then made the report of the 
rebuilding operations and read an extended historical sketch of 
the church. 7. Prayer by Rev. H. N. Stetson of Suncook. 8. 
Reading Scriptures by Rev. F. H. Davis of Franklin Falls. 
9. Dedication anthem b}' the choir. 10. Sermon b\^ Rev. C. W. 
McAllister of Manchester. 11. H}'mn No. 500. 12. Dedication 
prayer by Rev. J. K. Ewer of Concord. 13. Doxology. 14. Ben- 
ediction by Rev. Stephen Coombs. 

This church has maintained a Sunda}'-school since 1845, and 
has a library of 1,000 volumes. Two zealous and successful pas- 
tors have gone out from this church. Rev. Joseph F. Fielden, now 
preaching at Winchendon, Mass., and Rev. Millard F. Johnson, 
now preaching at Nashua, N. H. Another young member of this 
church, William Ide Brown, oldest son of John S. Brown, was 
studying for the ministry, but gave up his studies to serve his 
country in the army, and was killed at Petersburg, Va., on March 
29, 1865, just before the close of the war. 

The First Baptist church and the First Baptist society worked 
in harmony from 1846 to 1898, with the exception of one occa- 
sion. This was in 1872, when a difference occurred on the 
question of terminating the pastorate of Rev. George G. Harri- 
man, with the result that a considerable number of the church 
members withdrew on the first Sunday in January, 1873, and 
established preaching services and a Sunday-school at a later date 
in Sanders hall on Main street. At the beginning of the follow- 
ing year, 1874, they called Rev. J. E. Burr to be their pastor, 
and took the name of Main Street Baptist church. Mr. Burr 
proved to be an excellent pastor and continued in charge of this 
Main Street church until 1878, at which date the P^irst Baptist 
church invited the members of the Main Street Baptist church to 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, Ln5RARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 97 

unite with them. A conference of members from each church 
met and arranged the details for the union, and on February 17 
the formal reunion took place, and the ninety-five members of the 
Main Street Baptist church were enrolled as members of the First 
Baptist church. 

From that date the labors of church and society were entirely 
in harmony until 1898, when the First Baptist church organized 
as a corporation, the First Baptist society transferred all its prop- 
erty to the church, and was then dissolved. The business of the 
church has since been transacted under the direction of a board 
of trustees. 

The first pastor of the Baptist church, Rev. Edmund Worth, 
served from August 6, 1845, to ]\Iarch 3, 1856. The pastors fol- 
lowing were, Rev. Joseph Storer from April 4, 1856, to March 30, 
1862; Rev. Joseph Henry Gilmore from June 19, 1862, to Sep- 
tember 16, 1864. During this short pastorate the church and 
Sunday-school reached high-water mark as regards numbers and 
interest of the members. Rev. Ira E. Kenney served from March 
14, 1865, to March i, 1868; Rev. George G. Harriman from 
September 2, 1868, to January i, 1873; Rev. William B. Smith 
from January 10, 1S73, to December 31, 1878; Rev. J. B. Rob- 
inson from July 6, 1879, to March i, 18S1; Rev. George T. 
Raymond from July i, 1881, to May 27, 1883 ; Rev. Welcome E. 
Bates from Nov. i, 1883. to December 11, 1888; Rev. W. N. 
Thomas from May 9, 1888, to August 2, 1891; Rev. A. S. 
Gilbert from January i, 1892, to September i, 1896; Rev. Daniel 
C. Easton (supply) from September, 1896, to INIarch, 1899. 

Rev. William H. Allison began his first pastoral work with this 
church on March 19, 1899. 

The deacons of this church have been David Brown, Benjamin 
Hoyt, Henry H. Brown, William H. Allen, Franklin A. Abbott, 
Henry F. Brown, Edmund H. Brown, and William Arthur Bean. 

There have been some 575 members of this church from the 
date of organization up to January i, 1901, the number at the 
later date being about 150. 

The Sunday-school has been conducted for the larger portion of 
its existence by three superintendents, Dea. Henry H. Brown, Dca. 
Franklin A. Abbott, and Dca. Edmund H. Brown. Other super- 
8 



98 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



intendents serving for shorter terms were William W. Allen, Dea. 
Henry F. Brown, M.Quincy Bean, John H. Moore, and Dr. Anson 
C. Alexander, who is serving for the present year, 1901. 



METHODIST CHURCH. 



The Methodist church was organized in October, 1847, and first 
held their meetings in Washington hall. They remained there 
only one year, and then moved to Granite hall. There the church 
increased in numbers so rapidly that they soon felt the need of 




Graphic ]5lock (Methodist Church). 

more commodious quarters. About 1851 the}- purchased a lot of 
land lying between Summer and Merrimac streets and erected 
thereon a church building which was dedicated August 22, 1852 ; 
the dedication sermon was delivered by Professor Baker of the 
Methodist Theological Institute of Concord. That building was 
used by the church until 1867, in which year they sold the prop- 
erty to the Catholic society and purchased the Graphic block on 
Main street, which property they still hold, using the second and 
third floors for church purposes, and renting the stores on the 
ground floor. This socict\- also own a comfortable parsonage at 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LHJRARIES, MOTELS, ETC. 99 

the northeast corner of Summer and Centre streets. There is a 
flourishing Sunday-school connected with this church, which has 
a well-selected librar}- and an actix'e and efficient corps of officers. 
The main room on the second floor is a cheerful and attractive 
audience room, furnished with modern settees instead of pews, and 
has a fine reed organ for the choir, and a piano for Sunday-school 
use. They have always maintained a choir which adds much to 
the effect of the services. Opening out of the main room, on the 
west side, is a chapel or class-room, which may be entered from 
the stairway at the rear of the building, as well as from the 
audience room. The third floor is used for social gatherings, and 
has a parlor, dining-room, kitchen, coat-room, etc., the whole 
establishment being well designed for the use of the church and 
society. 

The pastors have been Revs. John McLaughlin, Mr. Knapp, H. 
Loud, W. D. Cass, Jacob Sanborn, D. J. Smith, James Pike, J. C. 
Emerson, D. C. Babcock, Samuel Orr, N. P. Philbrick, N. Culver, 
S. P. Heath, VV. H. Jones, L. E. Gordon, L. P. Cushman, J. K. 
Shiffer, H. Woodward, E. R. Wilkins, C. W. Taylor, A. C. Coult, 
W. C. Bartlett, R. Sanderson, S. E. Quimby, G. W. Farmer, and 
E. N. Jarrett. 

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 

The Plrst Congregational society was organized September 11, 
1848, the original members being Richard Gage, Almon Harris, 
Joseph Gerrish, and Calvin Gage. This society purchased the 
meeting-house built b\' the Christian society in 1843. The society 
secured for pastor Rev. Isaac Knight, who began preaching 
November 12, 1848. A church was formed of twenty-three mem- 
bers, and organized. May 8, 1849, and Mr. Knight continued as 
pastor until his decease on Jul}' 25, 1850. 

The North Congregational church of Concord, in Fisherville, 
was organized in ]\Iarch, 1849, a"<^ occupied the chapel which was 
built for them, mainly by the efforts of Henry Rolfe and his 
famil}'. This chapel was a commodious one-story wooden build- 
ing, located on land now covered by Eagle block, and was 
dedicated August 19, 1849. Their first pastor was Rev. Thomas 
P. Vernon, who came from Rhode Island ; he was followed by 

L.ofC. 



lOO HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Rev. Jesse M. Cross, a young man who had studied for the minis- 
try with Rev. Mr. Tenney at West Concord. Rev. Enoch Corser 
also preached for a short time there. This church had forty-three 
members recorded on the clerk's book. 

On November 6, 1850, these two Congregational churches were 
united by action of an ecclesiastical council called for that purpose, 
and the consolidated First Congregational church started with a 
membership of sixty-six persons, only one of whom is still living 
(July, 1900), Mrs. Eliza Rolfe. This church, it seems, did not at 
first settle any regular pastor, but the desk was supplied by Rev. 
Mr. Stone, Rev. Henry Wood, Rev. Mr. Cummings, Rev. John R. 
Young, Rev. Joseph E. Bodwell, up to June i, 1851 ; then Rev. 
Mr. Campbell began preaching and continued until November 30, 
185 I, when he preached a farewell sermon. He was followed by 
Rev. Pliny B. Day for two months. Next the Rev. Mr. Stearns 
began preaching in February, 1852, and remained till September, 
1852. Rev. Daniel Lancaster next began preaching in September, 
1852, and made a longer supply than any of his predecessors, 
remaining until 1854 or later. 

The clerk's record book shows the first baptism in this church, 
dated July 6, 185 i , and the child was named Henry Gerrish Ames ; 
the rite of baptism being performed by Rev. Mr. Campbell. 
When these two churches united, an engagement was made to 
hold the services alternately in the meeting-house on the Boscawen 
side and in the chapel on the Concord side; but that arrangement 
did not prove to be satisfactor\^ and was terminated in 1854, when 
the church voted to hold all services on the Concord side. About 
1855 this church gave up the chapel and moved into Graphic hall, 
which had prex'iously been occupied by the Baptists. Their old 
chapel building was rented for singing schools and other purposes, 
and was finally destroyed by an accumulation of snow on the roof 
in the winter of i86i-'62. 

In 1857 the church called a council and settled Rev. Albert W. 
Fiske as their pastor. He had begun preaching in December, 
1856, and continued as pastor until October, 1863. His successors 
as pastors were Rev. W. R. Jewctt in 1863, Rev. Marvin D. Bisbce 
in 1874, Rev. F. V. D. Garretson in 1878, Rev. John H. Larry in 
1880, Rev. Charles E. Milliken in 1884, Rev. Edward G. Spencer 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LU5RARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 



lOI 



in 1892, and Re\^ Edwin B. Burrows in 1897. This last pastor 
retired in September, 1899, by reason of failing health. Rev^ J. E. 
Whitley was ordained at the Congregational church, July 19, 1900. 
The deacons of this church have been Eldad Tcnney, Luther 
Shedd, Almon Harris, Joseph Moody, David Putnam, Thaddeus 
O. Wilson, Fisher Ames, John R. Davis, and Lorenzo M. Currier, 
the last named being the onl\' one living in 1899. 




Congregational Chlkcii, ^L\ix Sikei.). 

Soon after the first regular pastor was installed the church left the 
Graphic hall and moved into the meeting-house on the Boscawen 
side. The}' purchased the building and fitted it up for their use, 
and have remained there to the present date. 

In 1888 their church building was remodeled inside, refurnished, 
stained glass put in the windows, and new heating and lighting 
fixtures supplied, at a cost of some $2,200, making it a \-er)^ neat 
and attractive place of worship. This work was done under 
the personal direction of Charles H. Sanders, chairman of 



I02 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



the committee. This church also owns a chapel on Merrimac 
avenue which they built in 1873. This chapel is used for evening 
meetings and for social meetings, and is well adapted for such uses. 

The Sunday-school connected with this church is in a flourish- 
ing condition and has a well-selected library, the superintendent in 
1899 being Lorenzo M. Currier. 

The first reed instrument (a melodeon) ever used in church in 
the village was at this church, Januar\- 14, 1849, played by Asa 
L. Drew. This instrument is still in existence at the Isaac K. 
Gage homestead. 

CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

The first priest having charge of this mission was Rev. William 
McDonald of Manchester. When he came to the latter city in 




Catholic Chukch and Parsonage, Pleasant Street. 

1849 there was but one church of his faith between Boston and 
the Canada line, along the Concord, Northern, and Vermont Cen- 
tral railroads. The one only was at Lowell. It is believed that 
the first child he baptized in Penacook was Andrew Linehan, in 
May, 1852. He was succeeded by Rev. John 1^. Daley, who took 
charge of Concord and the mission around it in 1853, or there- 
about. Mass was said at first in private houses, usually on week 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 



To- 



days, at half-past three in the morning. This early hour was nec- 
essary, as those emplo}'ed in the mills were obliged to go to work 
at five o'clock. The first houses in which mass was said were 
those of Michael Bolger, John Gahagan, John Linehan, and Ellen 
Cooney. Father Daley was succeeded in the charge of the Con- 
cord parish by Father O'Reiil}', who died shortly after assuming 




Very Rev. John 0"Donnell. 



the duties of the position, and Father Daley again took charge 
until the appointment of Rev. John O'Donnell of Nashua. 

The Catholic congregation was first gathered in this village by 
Rev. John O'Donnell, and began holding regular services in Gran- 
ite hall in 1863. The congregation soon outgrew that small 
room, and moved to the Pantheon hall on the Boscawen side of 



I04 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



the riv'er. This church had no pastor settled in the village, but 
was under the charge of the pastor of the Concord church. In 
1865 Rev. J. E. Barry was appointed to the pastorate of the 
Catholic church at Concord, having the church here also under 
his care. His labors here built up the congregation so rapidly 
that in 1867 they purchased the church edifice built by the 




Rev. George H. Feenev. 

INIethodists on the lot l}'ing between Summer and Mcrrimac 
streets. A notable result of Father Barr)''s labor here was the 
temperance society which he organized, and which included in its 
membership nearly every member of the congregation. There 
has, probably, been no single Christian movement in our village 
that resulted in greater good to the people than this temperance 
work by Father I^arry. 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 



lO: 



This congregation remained under the care of Father Barry 
until 1882, when Rev. M. P. Banner was appointed pastor, this 
being the first resident pastor of the congregation, and a parson- 
age was bought on High street, the house now being owned by 
Ira PhilHps. During the pastorate of Father Wilde, this house 
was exchanged for the Holmes place, at the east end of Summer 




Cornelius J. Coaklev. 

street, which is now owned by David Twome\-. The present 
pastor, Rev. D. F. Hurley, soon after his arrival, in 1893, con- 
cluded the purchase of the Sanders property, on Sanders hill, 
and fitted up the Sanders house as a parochial residence. In 
1896 he built a large one-story building in the rear of the par- 
sonage, called St. John's hall, for society and social meetings, and 
in 1898 he completed the church of the Immaculate Conception, 



I06 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

a large building, which, from its location on the hill, is the most 
prominent landmark in the village. At the dedication of this 
church there was a notable gathering of the Catholic clergy, 
including the head of the diocese, Bishop Bradley of Manchester. 
This church building, with the parsonage and the St. John's hall, 
makes the most complete and valuable church property in the 
village. The congregation is much the largest of all in the place, 
and their Sunday-school is correspondingly large in the number 
of its members. 

Two former members of this church have been ordained to the 
priesthood, — Rev. Timoth}' P. Linehan of Biddeford, Me., a 
younger brother of Hon. John C. Linehan; and the late Rev. 
George H. Feeney of Walpole, N. H., son of Lucius Feeney, a 
soldier of the Fifth Regiment N. H. V'ols., who was killed at 
Gettysburg. George Keenan died just before he was to be 
ordained to the priesthood. Two other young men are now 
studying for the ministry, — Cornelius J. Coakley and Richard 
Dolan. One }'oung lady, Margaret, the only daughter of John C. 
Linehan, entered the order of the Sisters of Mercy, in Portland, 
Me., in 1885. 

The pastors of this church have been : Revs. John O'Donnell, 
John E. Barry, M. P. Banner, John T. McDonnell, Louis AL 
Wilde, M. H. Eagan, D. F. Hurley, and D. W. Fitzgerald. 

SECOND ADVENT CHURCH. 

The Second Advent denomination held meetings in the village 
from 1852 to 1857, mostly in Granite hall, or Hosmer's hall, as it 
was then called. Elder John G. Hook of Concord was the most 
prominent of the preachers, and had the most powerful voice e\'er 
heard in the pulpit in the village. Other preachers were : Elder 
Locke, from Weare ; Elder Cummings, who held meetings in a 
large tent; Rev. Mr. Preble, and others. A large number of peo- 
ple attended these meetings, some probably from curiosity, but a 
considerable number were believers of the Second Advent doctrine. 
Samuel Biu'pee, an overseer in the Penacook mill, was a prominent 
member of that denomination, who gave up his situation in the 
mill and gave away his property shortly before the date of the 
expected appearance of the Lord. Quite a number of men and 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, IJBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 10/ 

women of this faith prepared their ascension robes, confidently 
expecting that the end of the world would come on a certain 
date in 1S57, but they were disappointed then as they had been 
at appointed dates in previous }'ears. One, at least, of the num- 
ber. Elder Hook, continued in his belief of the early coming of 
the Lord, and continued preaching until his decease in 1898. In 
the later years of his life, after evangelistic work in all parts of the 
country, he secured a small chapel on Pleasant street, and often 
preached near the scene of his early labors of nearly fifty years 
before. 

EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

The first regular services by the Episcopal denomination in the 
village were held in Sanders hall on May 15, 1881, by the Rev. 
Daniel C. Roberts, D. D., vice-rector of St. Paul's church. Con- 
cord. 

After using that hall for a season as their place of worship, they 
rented the Congregational chapel on Merrimac avenue, and con- 
tinued services there until 1890, when their present church build- 
ing was completed. The services there were continued by the 
vice-rector of St. Paul's. He was assisted by the Rev. Thomas 
G. Valpey, deacon, a master in St. Paul's school, until January, 
1882, when his duties at the school absorbed his time and atten- 
tion. Mr. Roberts continued in charge until the fall of 1882, 
when the Rev. Henry Bedinger, curate at St. Paul's church, 
became responsible for the work at Penacook. In 1884 Mr. 
Bedinger removed from the diocese, and was succeeded by Mr. 
Valpey, who returned to the mission, and remained in charge, 
under the former arrangement with St. Paul's church, Concord, 
until his lamented death, which occurred November 15, 1890. 
Under Mr. Valpey's faithful and vigorous pastorate, the mission 
grew into the proportions of an " organized mission," and its 
members and friends began to consider the possibility of building 
a church edifice. Mr. Valpey pushed the enterprise with energy 
and enthusiasm, enlisting friends and securing funds. In 1888 
the land was purchased, and a building committee appointed, 
consisting of the Rev. Thomas G. Valpey, John Harris, and Will- 
iam Taylor. The actual work of building was not commenced 



io8 



HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. 



until the summer of 1889. It was completed during the {ollowing 
winter, and the first service was held beneath its roof on February 
2, 1890, at 3 o'clock p. m. 

The plans were the gift of the late Rev. Henry A. Coit, D. D., 
LL. D., the first rector of St. Paul's school. They were drawn on 
the lines of a church in Cornwall, England. The architect was 
Henry Vaughan of Boston. The bills were all paid, and when 
the church was completed it was consecrated b}' the Rt. Rev, 





Eriscur.VL Cuukcii, Mi^kkimac hTKi:i:T. 



WiUiam \V. Niles, D. D., LL. D., D. C. L., bishop of New Hamp- 
shire, on the 27th day of May, 1890. 

A commodious guild room was finished and dedicated in 
November, 1892. After the great bereavement sustained in the 
death of Mr. Valpey, the services were continued under the 
auspices of St. Paul's church, conducted by the Hon. Horace A. 
Brown, as lay-reader, until early in 1891, when they were under- 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. IO9 

taken by the Rev. A. Wright Saltus of St. Paul's school. Mr. 
Saltus left the diocese late in 1892, and the former arrangement 
continued with the Hon. Horace A. Brown as lay-reader until 
August, 1893, when the connection with St. Paul's church ceased, 
and the Rev. William Lloyd Himes, general missionary of the 
diocese, became responsible for the conduct of the services, with 
the Rev. Charles Reuben Bailey, Ph. D., deacon, as curate. This 
arrangement continued until the ordination of the latter to the 
priesthood, when the charge devolved upon him, and he continued 
as priest in charge until October, 1898, when he resigned. The 
church has been served since by the Rev. Lucius Waterman, 
D. D., Rev. A. Wright Saltus, and Rev. John Knox Tibbits. 

This has been a labor of love from the beginning. St. Mary's 
is under special obligation to the Rev. Thomas G. Valpey, of 
blessed memory, an ideal pastor, who is remembered elsewhere 
for his virtues and his deeds; who left in Penacook, as monu- 
ments of his unselfish devotion, the church edifice, built through 
his constanc}', energy, and self-sacrifice, and the beginning of an 
endowment fund, for which purpose he bequeathed three thou- 
sand dollars. To this sum two thousand dollars was added by the 
bequest of the late Mrs. Sarah G. Smith. The first treasurer was 
the late Franklin D. Frost, succeeded by his nephew, Irving M. 
Frost, who was in turn succeeded by John Harris, who still holds 
the oflfice. 

SCHOOLS, TEACHERS. 

The first schoolhouse in the village was a union schoolhouse, 
built by the districts of the Boscawen and Concord sides, probably 
about 181 5, and was located near where the Gahagan house now 
stands, on Crescent street. This was on the main road, which at 
that time passed through what is now the }'ard of the Concord 
Axle Works. The schoolhouse was set centrally on the town 
line, and the boys' seats, on the north side of the room, were in 
Boscawen, while the girls' seats, on the opposite side of the room, 
were in Concord. This house remained at that location until 
after the old bridge was carried away and the road changed to 
cross the new bridge at Main street ; then the Boscawen schol- 
ars had a longer walk to reach the schoolhouse. One of the girls 



no HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

who then Hved in the Plummer house, just east of the old hotel, 
now remembers going to school over the new road from the old 
hotel, across the new red bridge, then clambering down the rocks 
at the south end of the bridge, and walking outside the large rock 
now to be seen in the water near the Knowlton house (there was 
then no dam on the river and the water did not come up to the 
big rock), then down the river bank and across the island to the 
schoolhouse. She recalls also that water for the school was taken 
from a spring at the foot of a large pine tree which was standing 
about where the east end of the Penacook mill now stands. 

This union schoolhouse was moved in 1826 to the hill opposite 
the Contoocook mill, afterwards known as Brown's hill, and was 
there again placed on the town line which runs between the Winn 
house and the double tenement house next south. School was 
continued there for ten years, until the Union district was dis- 
solved in 1836. The schoolhouse was later sold to John Johnson, 
who moved it to Queen street, where he used it for a carpenter 
shop and manufactory of coffins for several }-ears ; it was finally 
destroyed by fire in September, 1867. 

The Boscawen district, after the dissolution of Union district, 
built a new schoolhouse in 1836, on the west side of Main street, 
just south of the present Congregational church, and a few years 
later moved it to the north side of Queen street, a few rods west 
of Main street, where the writer first began " going to school," in 
1844. In those da}^s " discipline was maintained" by the help of 
the schoolmaster's ruler or ferrule. That was a persuasive instru- 
ment of oak, about two and a half inches wide, one half inch 
thick, and two feet long, and when wielded b}' the vigorous arm 
of a Richard Morgan, was simply irresistible ; the writer is posi- 
tive about this matter. 

After the dissolution of Union district there was no school- 
house built on the Concord side for some }'ears, but schools were 
kept in private houses during the winter months. Henry Rolfe 
(an older brother of Col. Abial) kept school in his house for a 
season, and Wm. P. Chandler also kept school in the old Chandler 
house, now occupied by E. L. Davis. 

In 1840 a new district (No. 20) was cut off from the Borough 
district, No. 2, and a "Little Red School House" was built 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. I I I 

on the Rolfe estate, which is still standing on Rolfe street and 
used for a dwelling house. The first schoolmaster in that house 
was Abial R. Chandler. In this house the school rapidly increased 
in number of scholars attending, as the village was growing rap- 
idly for several years, so that it became necessary to build a 
larger house. 

In 1849 a two-story wood schoolhouse was built on the site 
now occupied by the larger brick schoolhouse. That white 
schoolhouse was destroyed by fire in Februar}', 1877, and the 
present brick schoolhouse was built immcdiatel}' afterwards. This 
last schoolhouse was enlarged in 1889, and now accommodates 
three hundred scholars. 

The first schoolhouse at the Borough district. No. 2, was built 
probably as early as 1807, at which date the district (No. 2) was 
laid out, but no definite information has been obtained in regard 
to that house. The present brick schoolhouse in that district was 
built in 1852. The one next preceding it had been in use for 
some thirty years at least, and may have been the original school- 
house in the district ; it was located several rods west of the pres- 
ent house, near the fork of the road. That old schoolhouse was 
later purchased b}' Miss Matilda Drown (sister of Albert H. 
Urown), a notable school teacher, who moved it over to the vil- 
lage and placed it where Cephas Fowler's house now stands. 
There she kept a pri\'ate school successfully for several years. 
The old schoolhouse is now a part of the residence of William 
H. Raymond. 

SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 20. 

The clerk's record book of this district onh' covers the period 
from 1 874 to the present, the older records having been lost. At the 
annual business meeting in 1874, at which time Samuel F. Brown 
was moderator and Wm. W. Allen clerk, the district voted to raise 
$200 to pay for painting the schoolhouse. This was the two- 
story wooden building erected in 1849, and contained but two 
school rooms. 

In ]March, 1876, the district voted to raise $200 to pay for 
shingling and repairing the house; but shortly after it was re- 



112 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



paired, on February 13, 1877, it was burned to the ground. The 
record says nothing about the fire directly, but many of the citi- 
zens will recall the occasion and remember what a great heat it 
made, also how the firemen struggled to keep the neighboring 
houses from destruction. 

In the following month, March 7, 1877, at the annual meeting, 
the district voted to build a new schoolhouse ; also voted to raise 
the sum of $5,000, to be used, with the money received from 




Schoolhouse, District No. 20. 



insurance on the old building, in payment for the new house. A 
building committee was then appointed, consisting of Charles H. 
Sanders, John Whitaker, John C. Linehan, George W. Abbott, 
and David Putnam. This committee was given power to pur- 
chase more land, locate the house, and furnish the same. 

At a subsequent meeting, March 24, 1877, the building com- 
mittee was authorized to use a part of the insurance money for 
the purchase or exchange of land. At this meeting the superin- 
tending and the prudential committees were authorized to make 
arrangements for sending the scholars to Penacook Academy, 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LHBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. II3 

this being a temporal-}' arrangement for schooling while the new 
house was being built. 

At another meeting, on October 22, 1877, the district voted to 
raise a further sum of $1,200 to complete the new schoolhouse. 

The clerk's record gives no information as to the entire cost of 
the building, or in regard to the dedication exercises. It is 
learned from other sources that at the dedication of the new 
schoolhouse Hon. John C. Linehan, for the building committee, 
made a report on the building and turned over the keys to the 
prudential committee of the district; he also read a paper on the 
history of the district. The keys were received by Charles H. 
Sanders, prudential committee. Miss Ellen Abbott, one of the 
teachers, read an original poem, and Professor Patterson of Dart- 
mouth College delivered a fine oration. The mayor of Concord, 
Hon. John Kimball, was present, and made some remarks suited 
to the occasion. 

At the annual meeting, March 19, i88r, Charles H. Sanders 
and Charles W. Hardy were appointed a committee to join with 
the prudential committee in an examination of the schoolhouse 
with a view to building a porch around the front doors to protect 
the hallwa}'s during cold and storm}- weather. At a special meet- 
ing, July 30, 1 88 1, that committee reported a plan for building the 
porches at the frontdoors. Their plan was accepted and adopted, 
and the district voted to raise $300 to pay for that work. 

In 1884 the district voted to adopt the act of legislature creat- 
ing a board of education, and Edmund H. Brown, Alfred E. 
Emery, and William W. Allen were chosen as the first members of 
the board. 

The matter of increasing the capacity of the schools came up 
for action at the annual meeting. March 6, 1885, and John H. Rolfe, 
C. H. Sanders, and Nathaniel S. Gale were appointed a committee 
to report on the matter. This committee reported at an adjourned 
meeting, March 26, but their report was laid on the table and 
received no further action at that time, though the fact remained 
that the schools were then overcrowded. 

At the annual meeting, in 1886, the matter of heating the school- 
house came up and was referred for action to a special meeting, April 
15, when the district voted to have the house heated by steam, 
9 



114 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

appointed William H. Rundlett, John H. Rolfe, and George A. 
Tucker a committee to take charge of the work. Also voted to 
raise the sum of $i,iOO to pay the expense of the same. 

In 1888 the subject of evening schools was brought up and was 
referred to the Board of Education, who arranged to commence 
such additional schools. This arrangement appears to have been 
satisfactory, as at the next annual meeting, March 21, 1889, the dis- 
trict voted to continue the evening schools and appropriated $200 
for expenses of the same. 

At this meeting a committee consisting of John H. Rolfe and 
William P. Chandler was appointed to act with the Board of Edu- 
cation to investigate the ventilation and sanitary condition of the 
schoolhouse and report at a meeting to be called for that pur- 
pose. 

On May 9 a meeting was held at which the committee reported, 
recommending an addition to the house 32 feet 8 inches wide, 
40 feet long, two stories high, and cellar, at an estimated cost of 
$4,500. This report was accepted and adopted, and the Board 
of Education was instructed to raise the money. At a subsequent 
date it was arranged that the city issue bonds amounting to $4,500, 
the proceeds of same to be used in payment for this addition to 
the schoolhouse ; the payment of these bonds to be extended over 
a term of ten years. 

The records first show the report of the Board of Education in 
1892 ; this report gives the average attendance of scholars for the 
year at 248. Six schools were provided, as follows: First and 
Second Primary, First and Second Intermediate, and First and 
Second Grammar. Three terms were kept during each year. 
During this }'ear the board fitted up a library for the schools. 

At the annual meeting in 1894 the district voted to purchase a 
piano for the schools. At this meeting the matter of uniting with 
the Union School District of Concord came up for discussion, and 
a committee was appointed to consider the matter, but the record 
shows no further action on the subject during that year. 

In 1896 the district voted to purchase a new flag. A flagstaff 
had been erected in front of the schoolhouse some }'ears before, 
at which time a flag was presented to the schools by D. Arthur 
Brown, this being the first flag ever owned and used regularly 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. II 5 

at the schools, but no mention of the matter was made in the 
clerk's record. 

At the annual meeting of 1897 the question of uniting with 
Union School District came up again, and a committee consisting 
of A. E. Emery, George W. Abbott, and John C. Farrand was 
appointed to confer with the Concord Board of Education. A 
special meeting was called on July 15 to hear the report. A. E. 
Emery and George W. Abbott made a majority report in favor of 
uniting, and John C. Farrand a minority report against uniting. 
The proposal to unite was voted down, the district preferring to 
remain independent. 

It is to be regretted that the early records of this district have 
been lost, so that it is impossible to get a complete list of the 
teachers, but the names of some of the early teachers have been 
obtained from Col. Abial' Rolfe and his daughter. Miss Lizzie 
Rolfe. 

Colonel Rolfe taught the winter term in 1847 in this district, 
having previously kept the school two winters in district No. 4. and 
later kept the school in district No. 2, in 1849. Other male teach- 
ers of the early days were William H. Eastman, Richard Morgan, 
Warren Sanborn, Abi Scales, Rev. Mr. Pinkham, Samuel Batch- 
elder, Isaiah L. Pickard, Fred Chandler, John A. Abbott, and 
Warren Abbott. 

Some of the female teachers of the earlier years were Susan 
Dow, Harriet Chandler, Matilda Drown, Miss Eaton, Miss Clement, 
Myra McQuesten, Alma Farnum, Sarah Tenney, Martha Farnum, 
Elizabeth Brown, Mary Brown, Susan Hazelton, Ellen Abbott, 
]\Iiss Dimond, Miss Chase, Martha Coombs, Etta Danforth, Emma 
Jones, Clara Smith, Eliza INIoorc, and Susan Moore. 

The present clerk's book of the district gives the teachers' names 
only from 1882, at which date Louis J. Rundlett was principal of 
the schools. He was followed b}^ George A. Dickey in 1886, H. 
E. Richardson in 1891, H. H. Randall in 1896, and W. E. Gushee 
in 1897. Since 1882 there have been a large number of female 
teachers, but one onh^ has remained continuous!}' to the present 
date. Miss Maria Carter. Miss Lizzie Rolfe was one of the teach- 
ers in 1882, and she continued until 1891. Others who have been 
teachers since 1882 are Miss J. E. Wells, Susie C. Ferrin, Alice 



Il6 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

L. Morse, Alice H. Warden, Helen P. Bennett, Grace E. Colb}% Mary 
L. Rolfe, Grace M. Powell, Mary S. Emery, Ella N. Jones, Mary 
A. Williams, Lucy E. Warner, Evelyne M. Winkley, Susie E. 
Pickard, Lillian M. Bickford, Florence A. Chandler, M. Ethel 
Pike, Ruphella Luce, L. E. Elliott, Etta C. Pease. 

The yearly expense for sustaining the schools in this district in 
1882 was $2,035.39, and in 1897 it was $3,700.02, showing an 
increase in fifteen )'ears of over 50 per cent. 

SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1 4, OR NO. 7 (BOSCAWEN). 

The first records obtainable of this district begin in 1836. At 
the dissolution of the Union district (Boscawen and Concord) the 
number of the district appears on the records, and as late as 1856, 
as No. 14, and the record also speaks of the district in 1849 
as No. 7, so it is not clear at what date the number was changed, 
or wh}' changed. It is probable, however, that the change was 
made at about the time when the new schoolhousc was built, in 
1848. 

The first schoolhouse of this district was built in 1836, on a lot 
of land next south of the present Congregational church lot. In 
1843 that house was moved to the north side of Queen street, a 
few rods west of Main street. In 1S48 the district voted to build 
a new schoolhouse and sell the old one. The business was put 
in the hands of a committee consisting of Abial R. Chandler, John 
C. Gage, and Abner B. Winn. This committee purchased ninety- 
six square rods of land of Richard Gage (father of Calvin, John C, 
Luther, and others), at $1 per square rod, or $90 for the whole 
lot. They erected a two-story brick building, 2i3 x 50 feet, at a 
cost of $2,400, and furnished it for the first schools at a cost of 
$168.36. 

They sold the old red schoolhouse to John Flanders (grand- 
father of Mrs. W. G. Buxton) for $93. It was then moved to 
the upper end of Main street, and fitted up for a dwelling house. 
It is still standing as the ell part of the residence of Fred Abbott. 

The last school in the old house was the summer term of 1848, 
kept by Nancy P. Hosmer (sister of Dr. W. H. Hosmcr), who 
received the sum of $1.25 per week for her services, and her 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, IJHRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 11/ 

board at Abner B. Winn's was paid by the district at the rate of 
ninety-five cents per week. 

In those da}'s the board of teachers was contracted to the low- 
est bidder, and it would seem that there must have been sharp 
competition to bring the price down to the figure above noted. 

When beginning the schools in the new house prices seemed 
to advance, as the first male teacher, Stephen H. Folsom (an 
uncle of Charles H. Sanders), received $6 per week for the win- 
ter term, 1848-49, besides his board, which cost the district 
$1.70 per week, and was paid to Jonathan C. Shepard, father of 
our veteran citizen, Charles P. Shepard. 

Daniel B. Whittier was the next schoolmaster, and taught the 
two winter terms, 1849-1850-5 1 . At the annual meeting in 
March, 185 1, the district voted a resolution of thanks to Mr. 
Whittier for his valuable and acceptable services as teacher, and 
tendered to him the use of the upper school-room for a select 
school, when not in use by the district schools, free of charge or 
expense. Mr. Whittier then opened his select or high school, 
keeping a spring and fall term for several years, and taking schol- 
ars from both sides of the river and some from neighboring towns. 
This was an excellent school, and was the first successful high 
school ever kept in the village. 

At the annual meeting of 1861 it was voted to adopt the 
" Somersworth act," and a superintending committee was elected. 
Very young scholars were being sent to the schools about this 
time, as shown by the action of the district at the March meeting 
of 1862, when it was voted to exclude from the schools all chil- 
dren under four years of age. The committee, who erected a 
fence around the school grounds, reported that they had set out 
seven rock maple trees in the school yard, at a cost of $2.34, 
which trees are still standing in the yard of Edward Coleman, and 
are probably worth all that they cost. 

In 1863 the district proved its liberality by increasing the salary 
of the clerk to $2 per year; it had previously been only $1 per 
year. 

Repairs on the schoolhouse in 1871 cost some $400. There 
was an article in the warrant that year to see if the district would 
adopt Penacook Academy for their high school, paying to the 



I I 8 HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. 

academy as much for each scholar who attended there as that 
scholar's share in the district funds would amount to ; but that 
article in the warrant was passed over by a vote of forty to nine- 
teen. That did not satisfy the friends of the measure, and a 
special meeting of the district was called on April 15, 1871, when 
it was decided to adopt the Penacook Academ}' as high school 
for the district b}' a vote of forty-three to thirt}'-eight. This 
arrangement with the academy continued in force until 1883. 
The district paid in all $1,439.40, an average of $119.95 ^o^' 
each year. 

At the annual meeting of 1875 the district voted to employ 
male teachers for the winter terms of school, the practice for the 
last ten years having been to employ female teachers only for 
both the winter and summer terms. 

In 1877 the district again voted to raise the salary of the clerk; 
this time they made the compensation $5 per year. 

At the next annual meeting, 1878, auditors were first appointed 
to audit the accounts and report of the prudential committee. 

The district established a precedent at the annual meeting of 
1 88 1 by instructing the prudential committee to hire Louis J. 
Rundlett to teach the school for the ensuing }'ear. At this same 
meeting the district seems to have awakened to the fact that their 
clerk had been serving for many years for a very limited compen- 
sation, as a vote was passed to pay him then $25. The district 
further decided to employ a music teacher and a teacher of draw- 
ing. 

The annual meeting of 1883 fixed the clerk's salary at $10 per 
year, and decided to terminate the arrangement with Penacook 
Academy. 

At the annual meeting in 1885 the district voted to adopt the 
act of the legislature relating to a board of education for control 
of the schools, and elected the first Board of Education, which 
consisted of A. C. Alexander, John C. Pearson, and Willis G. 
Buxton. The clerk of the district, Abraham Hook, having died 
during the year, after a service of thirty consecutive years, there 
was a resolution of respect to his memory passed b}- unanimous 
vote. 

At a special meeting on April 11, 1885, there was a vote passed 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. II9 

for raising the sum of $1,500 to defray the expense of repairing 
the schoolhouse ; but on August 1st of the same year another 
meeting was called to see if the district would rescind the action 
of April II, and to take action in relation to the purchase of 
Penacook Academy building and land. A committee was 
appointed to confer with the proprietors of Penacook Academy, 
and to report at an adjourned meeting on August 11. At the 
adjourned meeting the district voted to raise $3,000 for the pur- 
chase of the academy property, and appointee! A. C. Alexander, 
C. J. Ellsworth, and J. C. Pearson a committee to execute the 
business. The district also voted at this time to sell the old 
schoolhouse at auction. It was bought by Edward Coleman. 

At the annual meeting of 1886 the financial report for the year 
was made by the Board of Education for the first time. The 
building committee reported that they had hired $2,500 for the 
district, and had received $1,025 from the sale of the old school- 
house. They had paid the trustees of Penacook Academy $3,000 
for their property, and had paid out for repairing and furnishing 
the building the further sum of $1,260.84, making a total outlay 
for the new schoolhouse of $4,260.84. 

This was an excellent arrangement for the district, as it secured 
a fine, large building and ample grounds, well shaded with trees, 
situated on the main street of the village, and it was purchased 
at about one fourth of the original cost of the property. 

On opening the schools in the new house the number of teach- 
ers was increased to three for the first term, and after that to four. 

In 1887 the district voted to pay the Board of Education sixty 
dollars for their services during the past two years, this being at 
the rate of ten dollars each per year. This district has been for- 
tunate in its officers, and has kept good men in the several posi- 
tions for long terms. The clerk, Abraham Hook, served the 
longest term of any officer, a little over thirty years; Hon. John 
C. Pearson has been chosen moderator for nearh^ twenty years ; 
Joseph Chandler served about the same number of years as pru- 
dential committee, and others on the prudential and superintend- 
ing committees have served long and faithfully for the manifest 
benefit of the schools. 

The yearly expenses for the schools have increased gradually 



I20 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



each decade, as shown by the following figures: In 1837 the sum 
was only $82.34; in 1848, $214.99; i" 1858, $270.02; in 1868, 
$522.52; in 1878, $1,182.50; in 1888, $1 ,422.75 ; and in 1898, 

$i.585-33- 

The salaries paid per week to teachers at these several dates^ 
including board, were as follows: 

1837, male teachers, $5*25 



1848, male teachers, 7.50 

1858, male teachers, 12.75 

1868, male teachers, 13. OO 

1878, male teachers, 14.00 

1888, male teachers, I5-50 
1898, 



female teachers, 
female teachers, 
female teachers, 
female teachers, 
female teachers, 
female teachers, 



$2.20 
2.80 

375 
7.00 
9.00 
8.00 



female teachers,$ 1 0.00 to $ 1 2 .00 



The district paid for board in 1842 as low as 98 cents per week 
for female teachers, and $1.00 for men. As late as 1856 the dis- 
trict paid only $1.50 per week for board of Mary J. Ambrose, and 
paid her only $1.75 per week for teaching. Some of the citizens 
will recall that Miss Ambrose was a daughter of Samuel Ambrose, 
the tavern keeper at Boscawen Plain, and that she married Prof. 
John R. PLastman who for thirty years past has been one of the 
principal astronomers at the naval observatory at Washington. 

For building the fires and ringing the bell for the whole year 
185 I, the district paid $2.50 to Curtis Flanders, who ten years 
later was the first man from this village to enlist in the army for 
the War of the Rebellion, and gave up his life to save the Union. 

The cost of fuel in the early days of this school was small, as in 
1 84 1 the district paid but $2.50 per cord for good hard wood. 

One of the earliest records of the district is a teacher's certifi- 
cate which is as follows : 

" This may certify that Miss Elizabeth Brown is duly qualified 
to instruct youth in those branches usually taught in our District 
schools. Signed Caleb B. Trac}' ^ 

Dated Fishcrville,N.H. ) Edward Buxton > Supt. Committee." 

May 21^' 1849 ) Isaac Knight } 

These three committee men were all Congregational clergymen. 

Some of the teachers in the old red schoolhouse were D. Dana, 

Reuben M. Call, Josiah Stevens, Jr., Stephen H. Folsom, Thomas 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 



121 



Whidden, Richard Morgan, and Peltiah Brown. Also, Mrs. M. 
Moody, Mrs. Sally Martin, Abia Atkinson, Nancy P. Hosmer, 
Mary G. Brown, Nancy Call, and Matilda Drown. 

The following list comprises nearly, if not quite all, the teachers 
who have served the district since 1848. 



Male Teachers. 
Stephen H. Folsom, 
Samuel Batchelder, 
John W. Symonds, 
Philip Hunt, 
W. H. Foster, 
Richard F. Morgan, 
H. L. Burnham, 
Charles M. Emery, 
John French, 
George Long, 
W. E. Walker, 
L. J. Rundlett, 

B. S. Harmon, 

C. S. Murray, 

H. E. Chamberlin, 
Bert E. Holland, 
J. M. Barton, 
G. A. Sanborn, 

Female Teachers. 

Elizabeth Brown, 
Abby A. Taylor, 
Nancy P. Hosmer, 
Mrs. J. \V. Symonds, 
Miss Hill, 
Betsey Simonds, 
Abby Young, 
Miss Dow, 
Miss C. A. Green, 
Miss L. J. Runnells, 
Sarah Chandler, 
Ellen Daggett, 

E. Webster, 

F. A. Plummer, 
Mary E. Rowell, 
S. E. Moore, 
Susie A. Smith, 



Male Teachers. 
Daniel B. Whittier, 
John A. Kilburn, 
Wm. V. Morrison, 
Henry L. Colby, 
J. E. Pecker, 
Charles Bunker, 
Mr. Kilburn, 
Warren Abbott, 
C. M. Sargent, 

E. Wayne, 

C. A. Caldwell, 
J. M. Marden, 
A. O. Taylor, 
Robert Frame, 
Robert A. Ray, 
C. S. Flanders, 

F. G. Atwell. 
E. K. Smith. 

Female Teachers. 

Mary G. Brown, 
Laura J. Taylor, 
Caroline Whittemore, 
Miss Foster, 
M. A. Swett, 
Mary J. Ambrose, 
Miss Riddle, 
Miss Wadleigh, 
Miss A. B. Scales, 
Sarah E. Tenney, 
Susan Locke, 
M. A. Forsaith, 
Ellen K. Abbott, 
Rebecca K. Rowell, 
S. T. Hook. 
Mary E. Kimball, 
Lizzie Smith, 



122 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Mary M. Gage, Lizzie Shepard, 

Sadie Gage, Nellie Eastman, 

Eliza Morrison, Lottie Wallace, 

Cordelia A. Sanborn, Addie A. Butrick, 

Ella F. Stone, Julia E. Flanders, 

D. E. E. Hill. Ida A. Knox, 

Nellie Bean, - Hannah Gage, 

Miss Wyman, Addie L. Flanders, 

Alice M. Sargent, M. Grace Caldwell, 

Susie A. Hall, Jennie L. Homans, 

G. A. Chandler, M. E. Pike, 

Georgia Chandler, Miss Robertson. 
Lucy Warner, 

Of the male teachers, no one has remained long, but among the 
female teachers, Ella F. Stone served for fourteen years without a 
break, and Susie A. Hall has served continuously since 1887, and 
bids fair to break the former record made by Miss Stone. 

LIBRARIES. 

The first public library established in this village was the one 
located at the Batchelder store on Washington square, about the 
year 1850. This was owned by Mr. Batchelder and books were 
let out to the citizens, but on what terms can not now be ascer- 
tained. 

THE FISHERVILLE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. 

This was a voluntary corporation organized under the general 
laws of New Hampshire, and the first meeting of the corporators 
was held on July 21, 1865. The names of the corporators were as 
follows : 

Henry H. Brown, Rev. D. J. Smith, Rev. A. \V. Fiske, Isaac 
K.Gage, John S. Brown, William II. Allen, Nehemiah Butler, 
Calvin Gage, Abial Rolfe, Rev. Ira E. Kcnn\-, Rev. W. R. Jcwett, 
Abner B. Winn. 

The by-laws of the Association were adopted August 5, 1865, 
and the first board of officers were elected on August 7, as fol- 
lows : President, Nehemiah Butler; secretary, Isaac K. Gage; 
treasurer, William H. Allen; trustees, Henry H. Brown, Rev. Ira 
E. Kenny, and N. Butler. The capital stock of the association 
was limited to $10,000, and the par value of the shares was placed 
at $5. There were issued in all eighty-five shares of stock for 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LH5RARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 1 23 

which the treasurer received $425. The ladies of the village were 
actively engaged in starting the library. Mrs. Lucretia Brown 
(wife of Deacon H. H. Brown) started the work of raising funds, 
and secured a gift of $100 from Francis Fisher, of Boston, 
one of the men for whom the village was named. Abial R. 
Chandler, of Lawrence, a former resident of the village, contrib- 
uted ;f 100. Mrs. Francis M. Winn was also one of the ladies 
who secured a large amount of subscriptions. 

It appears that a Ladies Library Association was formed at 
about the same time as the corporation, and was a strong support 
of the corporation in financial matters, as they contributed cash 
from subscriptions, etc., $819.13, and cash from proceeds of fairs 
and lev^ees $527.47 — in all $1,346.60. 

The first purchase of books was paid December 14, 1865, to 
Graves & Young, Boston, Mass., amounting to $421.22, and the 
total amount expended for new books during the existence of the 
corporation, was $1,626.44. The library was first located in the 
carpet-room of the Allen store. It was afterwards moved in 1869 
to the old Gage store on the Boscawen side. It was next moved, 
in 1876, to the Penacook academy and placed in care of Rev. A. 
C. Hardy, principal of the school, who took all care of the books 
with no charge for services as librarian or for room rent, the con- 
sideration being the free use of the books by his scholars. In 
1880 the library was moved to Sanders block. In 1882 it \vas 
again moved to Chadwick's block on Main street, and in 1886 it 
was moved for the last time to the Coburn block over the canal. 

The librarians were Sarah P. Gage, William H. Allen, Nellie 
Eastman, Annie Gage, Luther C. Gage, Mary H. Gage, Rev. A. 
C. Hardy, Charles H. Sanders, and Mar}' Durgin. The salary of 
librarian was $26 per }'ear. Rev. A. W. Fiske did considerable 
work for the Library Association preparing the catalogue, etc. 
Rev. W. R. Jewett also was emplo\-ed at times in covering and 
repairing the books. 

The largest number of books owned at any time, as recorded in 
secretar\''s book, was 1,466, in 1884. 

As early as 1883 the Library Association appointed a commit- 
tee to confer with the trustees of the Concord Public Library to 
see what arrangements could be made for transferring the library 



124 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

to Concord, but as there is no record of a report by that commit- 
tee, it would appear that they could not make the desired arrange- 
ments. In 1886 the name was changed to Penacook Library 
Association. 

There were but three presidents of the Association, Nehemiah 
Butler, elected in 1865, followed by William H. Allen in 1879, 
and by Willis G. Buxton in 1885. 

The secretaries were Isaac K. Gage in 1865, George S. Morrill 
in 1866, Stewart I. Brown in 1869, C. H. Sanders in 1880, Stew- 
art I. Brown in 1881, and Edmund H. Brown in 1886. 

The treasurers were William H. Allen elected in 1865, Charles 
M. Rolfe in 1876, Charles H. Sanders in 1878, and Edmund H. 
Brown in 1888. 

In 1888 this library was consolidated with the city library at 
Concord, and arrangements made for delivering books from the 
city library to the citizens of the village, without extra charge. 

About 1856 there was a small library owned by the Philologian 
Society and used by the members of that society onh'. It was 
kept in the upper hall of Graphic block, which was the home of 
that society. The books were distributed among the members of 
the society at the dissolution of the society. 

PENACOOK ACADEMY. 

A number of citizens of Fishervillc met on January 26, 1866, 
and formed an association, under the state laws, to be called Pen- 
acook Academy. The original stockholders of this academy were 
Henry H. Brown, John S. Brown, Calvin Gage, Isaac K. Gage, 
Ira E. Kenney, Healey Morse, Nehemiah Butler, and David A. 
Brown, of whom John S. Brown alone remains at this date (1901 ). 
On February 2d the stockholders voted that the trustees should 
erect suitable school buildings upon the lot of land which had 
been donated by William H. Gage, for that purpose. The 
school building was erected at an expense of $15,000, and the 
rooms were opened for pupils on November 6, 1866. The first 
board of teachers consisted of Monroe Weed, A. M., Mrs. Mary 
A. Weed, Miss Eliza T. Moore, and Prof. John Jackman. 

Professor Weed died in June, 1867, and was succeeded by A. 
C. Stockin, A. M., who remained as principal of the academy for 






CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 



I2q 



about two }-ears. The next in succession was Joseph F. Fielden, 
A. M., who took the position in the spring of 1869. 

Hiram Lawrence was elected principal and began his service in 
the summer of 1870; he remained but two years and was followed 
by Prof. E. C. Allen in 1872. The school had, during these 
years, receiv^ed hardly enough patronage to make it successful, 
and was a constant expense on the hands of the stockholders. 




Pexacook Academy, 1866. 

In the spring of 1871, the Boscawen school district, Xo. 14, 
voted to adopt the Penacook academy as their high school, allow- 
ing the advanced scholars to attend the academy, and for their 
tuition paid to the academ}' a sum equal to what their schooling 
would cost in the district school. This arrangement was a help 
to the academy as well as a good thing for the district. It was 
quite a material support to the financial affairs of the academy. 

In 1875 Rev. A. C. Hardy came to the village from Portsmouth, 
and made an arrangement with the trustees to take charge of the 
school and run it on his own responsibility. He changed the 
name to " Penacook Normal Academy," enlarged the course of 
stud}-, engaged a larger number of teachers, and opened with 



126 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



bright prospects for a successful school. He continued his labors 
for three years, but could not make it a financial success, and so 
felt obliged to give up the enterprise. 

The trustees then employed C. A. Caldwell, who remained two 
years. In 1880 Rev. J. H. Larry took the school, renamed it the 
" School of Practice," and put so much life and energy into the 
enterprise that it was quite a successful school for some three years. 

In 1883 district No. 14 decided to discontinue sending 
scholars to the academy, thereby withdrawing considerable finan- 
cial support, and the school was closed. 

In 1885 the academy property was purchased by district No. 
14, and the building was remodeled inside, fitting it for use of the 
district schools. 

HOTELS AND LANDLORDS. 

The number of hotels in the village has been but two, except 
for a limited time. The first hotel, or tavern, was built by Capt. 
John Chandler, on the Boscawen side of the river in 1787, and 
has been kept open as a hotel from that date to the present day. 
It is now known as the Penacook House. 




Penacook House (1787). 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 12J 

Captain Chandler was a large landowner and energetic busi- 
ness man. Some of his descendants have always resided in the 
village. His granddaughter, Harriet Chandler, at the age of 
eighty-three is still (1899) in excellent health physically and 
mentally. The brothers, William P. and Fred G. Chandler, are 
descendants in the fourth generation. 

Captain Chandler remained as landlord for thirty-one years, and 
firmly established an excellent reputation for the house, which has 
been maintained most of the time for the one hundred and twelve 
years of its existence. 

In 18 18 Reuben Johnson, son-in-law of Captain Chandler, took 
the position of landlord and held it successfully for twcnt\--two 
years. The sons of Mr. Johnson moved to Minnesota in 1854, 
but one daughter — the widow of the late Isaac K. Gage — still 
resides in the house built and occupied by her father in his later 
years. Luther Johnson succeeded his father in the management 
of the hotel in 1840, and was also engaged in trade at the old 
store nearly opposite the hotel. He had the honor of being the 
first postmaster of the village. 

Samuel Ambrose was the next landlord from 1850 to 1855, and 
was later landlord for many years at the old hotel at Boscawen 
Plain. None of his family now resides here. Healey Morse, 
father of our estimable citizen, George A. Morse, kept the house 
from 1855 to i860. 

For the next two years the house was kept by a I\Ir. Blake, and 
b}' "Jockey" Stevens. In 1862 the house was purchased by 
Hannibal Bonney, who is still the landlord after a service of 
thirty-nine years. Mrs. Bonney has been a notable landlady 
whose table has been famous for many years, and is still most 
highly esteemed. Under the management of Mr. and Mrs. Bon- 
ney this house has attained its highest reputation as a well-kept 
hotel. Mr. Bonney served his country as a soldier in the regular 
army as early as 1835, and had a varied and romantic career 
before settling down as a landlord here. 

The Washington House, on the Concord side of the river, was 
built in 1847 by John Sawyer and Joseph Eastman. There have 
been eleven landlords since the house was opened, their names 
being as follows: George Dame, J. S. Durgin, A. M. Hoffman, 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LH^RARIES, HOTELS, ETC. 



129 



Augustus Hutchinson, George Craft, Ira C. Edgerly, Charles 
Morrison, John C. Morrison, Gihiian Shaw, John Hopkins, and 
Corneh'us O'Brien. 

The most notable of these was Maj. Jeremiah S. Durgin, who 
took the house about 1852. He was a major in the militia and 
served four years in the arm\- during the Civil War, entering the 
service as captain of the company which he enlisted in the village, 
and which went into the Seventh Regiment, N. H. Vols. He was 
mustered out as a major. His three sons, Abner, Hiram, and 





CK.\ri;Ai. Iloi^E. 

Scott, were also in the arm}'. Hiram was killed at the second 
Bull Run battle. 

The Cutler House, corner of Washington and Main street, was 
fitted up as a hotel in 1898, and is doing quite a large business. 
Mv. Cutler also conducts a bakery and caters for public and pri- 
vate parties. The name of his house was changed in 190 1 to the 
Central House, and is owned by Isaac Bat}^ 

POST-OFFICE AND rOST^L\STERS. 
A post-office was established in the village in June, 1843, upon 
petition of William H. and Isaac K. Gage, who went to Concord 



I30 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

and laid the case before Governor Hill, and the department at 
Washington established the office on request of the governor. 
Luther G. Johnson was appointed postmaster June 26, 1843, and 
opened an office in the old store opposite the tavern on the Bos- 
cawen side. 

At that date the postage on a letter was si.x and one fourth 
cents (fourpence), if carried less than thirt)- miles; if carried 
over thirty and under eighty miles the postage was ten cents; 
for over eighty and under one hundred and fifty miles, twelve 
and one half cents (ninepence) ; over one hundred and fifty 
and less than four hundred miles, eighteen and three fourths cents, 
and if over four hundred miles, the postage was twenty-five cents. If 
the letter weighed one ounce, four times these rates were charged, 
so if anyone wanted to send a letter to New York weighing one 
ounce, the postage required was one dollar. Postage on news- 
papers within the state where published wa?. one cent; out of the 
state, one and one-half cents. Two years later, in 1845, the rate 
for letters of one half ounce weight, carried under three hundred 
miles, was five cents, and over three hundred miles, ten cents. In 
185 1 the rate on one-half ounce letters for any distance under 
3,000 miles was fixed at three cents, if prepaid, or five cents if 
not prepaid ; and drop letters were put down to one cent each. 
Postage stamps and stamped envelopes were first issued in 1852, 
and the present rate — two cents for one-ounce letters, any 
distance within the United States, — came into effect in 1875. 
Postage stamps were introduced in the United States in 1847, 
and stamped envelopes in 1851. Money orders were established 
in 1864, and the railroad post-office also organized in 1864. 
Registered letters came into use in 1855. Free delivery in cities 
was first begun in 1872, and postal cards made their appearance 
in May, 1873. 

When the office was established prcpa\-ment of postage was 
optional, and there were always a considerable number of letters 
lying in the post-office, because parties to whom they were 
addressed did not find it convenient to pay the postage and take 
the letters. Previous to the establishment of the offiice in Pcna- 
cook the residents on the Boscawen side had to get their mail 
matter from the office at Boscawen Plain, and residents on the 



CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, LHJRAKIES, HOTELS, ETC. I3I 

Concord side had to use the West Concord office. Postal cards 
were then undreamed of. Letters and mail matter were some- 
times forwarded by the teamsters, who drove the big four- and 
six-horse freight wagons to and from Boston and the towns in 
New Hampshire and Vermont. Neighbors in going to the post- 
office carried mail matter for the families in their v-icinity. The 
regular conve}-ancc for the mails at this date was the stage lines, 
this being before the railroad was built through the village. 

The second postmaster was Isaac K. Gage, who was appointed 
August 26, 1846, and he continued the office in the same old 
store on the Boscawen side. 

For the third term of the office Luther G. Johnson was again 
appointed postmaster February 9, 1849. He retained the office 
in the same location as before, but resigned after one year's ser- 
vice to remove to the West. 

Greenough McQuesten, the fourth postmaster, was appointed 
May 4, 1850. He was a bookkeeper at the store of H. H. & 
J. S. Brown, and moved the office May 21, 1850, to the Coburn 
block, on the Concord side. His daughter Myra was his assist- 
ant, and was a very capable and efficient clerk. 

The fifth postmaster was John Ellsworth, uncle of Charles J. 
Ellsworth. He was appointed April 6, 1853, and held the office 
for two terms. He was previousl}' in charge of the old carding 
mill on Commercial street. His youngest daughter, Mar)' (Polly), 
was the assistant, who will be remembered by the older residents 
as a beautiful young woman and the leading alto singer of the 
Congregational choir. 

The next, sixth in office, was Dana W. Pratt, who was appointed 
January 18, 1861. Mr. Pratt was a man of more than ordinary 
ability, but not as popular a man with the public as some of his 
predecessors in office. He was previously a dry goods merchant 
at the old Allen store. His assistants in the post-office were Miss 
Myra McQuesten and his niece, Mary Pratt. 

The seventh postmaster was Samuel F. Brown, who was ap- 
pointed Januar\- 18, 1 865, and served four successive terms, a 
longer period than any of the postmasters up to the present date. 
Mr. Brown was one of the five Brown brothers who came to the 
village in 1843 to engage in manufacturing. He was o\ersecr of 



132 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



the weaving department at the Penacook mill for many years pre- 
vious to 1 86 1, when he enlisted in the band of the Third Regi- 
ment, N. H. Vols., and went to the front. He moved the ofifice 
to the east end of the Coburn block, to the store now occupied 
by \Vm. F. Hoyt. His assistants in the post-office were his wife 
and Miss Sarah Ames. 

The eighth postmaster was Luther Gage, who was appointed 
December 15, 1880, and held the position for two terms. On 




COHUKN IjLOCK, I'OST-OFFICE. 

July 28, 1883, the name of the office was changed from Fisher- 
ville to Penacook. This was done on petition of the citizens, and 
mainly by the efforts of Isaac K. Gage. Mr. Gage had for assist- 
ant in the post-office his son, Luther C. Gage. 

The ninth postmaster was John H. Rolfe, who was appointed 
February 16, 1888. Mr. Rolfe was of the fourth generation in 
the Rolfe famil\', original settlers of the Concord side, and one of 
the most popular men in that sterling old famil}-. His aptitude 
for public affairs has kei)t him in some official position for main- 
years, his longest term of service being foreman of Pioneer iMiginc 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 33 

company, which office he has held for over twenty years. His 
assistants in the post-office were his wife and Miss Lydia Rolfe. 

The tenth postmaster was Luther C. Gage (son of Luther Gage, 
postmaster in 1880), who was appointed January 15, 1891. He 
held the office but one term, and had for assistants his wife and 
father. 

The eleventh postmaster, Leander C. Prescott, was appointed 
January 15, 1895. Mr. Prescott was one of the millers at Stratton 
& Co.'s flour mill, and as he retained his position there, he could 
give but little time to the post-office business. He was, however, 
ably represented by his first assistant, John B. Dodge, a man 
universally respected and esteemed by the whole community. 
The other assistant was Miss Hattie Smith, a niece of Postmaster 
Prescott. 

The twelfth and last postmaster, Horace B. Sherburne, was 
appointed January 19, 1899. Mr. Sherburne is also engaged in 
the insurance business in company with Hon. Willis G. Buxton. 
Since he assumed the office the Penacook office has been united 
to the Concord office, and the name is now Penacook Station, 
Concord, N. H. Another change was made in 1899 by extend- 
ing the free delivery system to this office, two carriers being at 
first employed. Letter boxes were placed in various parts of the 
village, so that the citizens now enjoy about as good postal facili- 
ties as the citizens in the city. The present assistants in the 
post-office are Mrs. Sherburne and Miss Hattie Tucker. Li 1900 
free rural delivery was established at this office, beginning with 
two routes, and another route was added soon after. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ENGINE COMI'ANIES, FIRES, ETC. 

On March 21, 1844, Reuben Johnson, Richard Gage, Jeremiah 
Kimball, Timothy Abbott, John S. Brown, and their associates, 
met at the Union schoolhouse and formed themselves into a com- 
pany to be known as the h^isherville Fire Engine Co. No. i, and 
adopted a code of by-laws for the government of the organization. 
These provided that the company should consist of at least twenty- 



134 



HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 



five able-bodied men. Admission was by a two-thirds affirmative 
ballot, and the candidate must subscribe to the by-laws and pay a 
fee of one dollar; also must purchase a printed copy of the by- 
laws and pay twenty-five cents for same. Neglect to respond at 
an alarm of fire subjected the member to a fine of one dollar. If 
a member left the engine when on duty, without consent of the 
captain, he was fined one dollar. Absence from any regular 
meeting, except in case of sickness, called for a fine of twelve and 
one half cents. 

At the adjourned meeting on March 23, 1844, the following 
officers were elected : Captain, Henry H. Brown ; clerk and 
treasurer, Luther G. Johnson ; hosemen, John S. Brown, John C. 
Gage, Henry E. Bliss; directors, Abner B. Winn, Wm. H. Allen, 
Stephen C. Wells; committee to purchase a fire engine, H. H. 
Brown, A. B. Winn, J. C. Gage. At this meeting it was voted 
that the engine should be called the Torrent. 

At a meeting on April 9 the committee reported the purchase 
from W. C. Hunneman & Co. of one fire engine, $626; 150 
feet of leading hose at ^90, and three pairs of couplings at 
$9.00; total bill, if 725. 

On April 17, 1844, the selectmen of the town of Boscawen 
appointed thirt}' men as legal members of the Fisherxille Fire 
Engine Co., as follows: 



Henry H. Brown, 
John S. Brown, 
John C. Gage, 
Henry E. Bliss, 
Abner B. Winn, 
Wm. H. Allen, 
Stephen C. Wells, 
David A. Brown, 
Thomas B. Wilson, 
Jonathan C. Shepard, 



Charles Abbott, 
Geo. B. Davis, 
Harrison R. Morse, 
Ebenezer Hutchins, Jr. 
Samuel F. Brown, 
Amos H. Morrison, 
John Currier, 
Hiram Gage, 
Jeremiah P. Boyce, 
Arthur L. ClitTord, 



Wm. W. Read, 
Samuel H. Fulsome, 
George H. Smith, 
Tilden Kimball, 
James Marsh, 
Samuel D. Ouinby, 
Harlan P. Genish, 
John Carleton, 
Josiah G. Hadley, 
Lewis W. Davis. 



Of these there are still li\ing ( 1899) onl\- John S. Brown (90), 
and Charles Abbott (75). 

The funds to pay for the engine had been raised by subscrip- 
tion and b)' appropriation of ^150 b)' the town of Boscawen. 
And on Aug. 10, 1844, a committee was chosen to solicit sub- 
scriptions to i)uild an engine lunise. On .August 17 thexMcported, 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 35 

and Calvin Gage, Abner B. Winn, and Nathaniel Rolfe were 
chosen as a building committee. The house was built on the lot 
next south of the Congregational church lot, — the land being 
deeded by the Contoocook Manufacturing and Mechanic Com- 
pany for that use, for $i.oo. 

The records show that the annual meeting, March 25, 1845, 
was held in the new engine house. During the first j'ear the 
clerk's record notes the names of members not present — most 
meetings show five to ten absentees, and one meeting shows a 
record of seventeen members absent. 

At the annual meeting in March, 1846, paid the clerk $2.56 
for doing the business of the company. Not a very extravagant 
salary, but it appears to be all that he charged for his services. 
At this same meeting the compau}' voted to request the clerk to 
have one hundred and fifty copies of the constitution and by-laws 
printed. Evidently he did not comply with that request, as the 
company v^oted again in August, 1847, to have one hundred 
copies of the constitution and b\'-laws printed. This time the 
clerk ex'idently succeeded, as at the annual meeting in March, 
1848, the company voted that the clerk furnish each member with 
a co\)\ free. 

In 1850 Nehemiah Butler was chosen clerk, and the records 
assumed a more business-like form under his hands. Non-attend- 
ance at the regular meetings seems to have been a growing trou- 
ble, as the clerk records as high as twent}'-four members not 
present at the October meeting, though but seven of these paid 
fines, the others being excused. 

At the October meeting, in 185 i, the compan}- chose a com- 
mittee of three, T. O. Wilson, Cah'in Gage, Geo. H. Hinton, to 
make arrangements for a supper. Whether they performed that 
duty or not the record does not state ; however, the name of the 
con\-i\-ial Geo. H. Hinton on that committee is strong confirma- 
tion to the supposition that the\' did perform such duty and had a 
good supper. 

In June, 1854, e\-identl\' there was some sort of trouble in the 
organization, as a committee of three was chosen " to look into 
the affairs of the company." That committee reported at the 
July meeting, but it is not recorded what the report was. At the 



136 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

September meeting of the same year, the company " voted to 
erase fines from all members and square the Book up to date." 
At this meeting a committee was chosen "to invest the by-laws 
and report at next meeting." At the October meeting the com- 
pany voted to accept the report of the committee in revising the 
by-laws. The principal change was a reduction of the amount of 
fine for non-attendance at meeting to ten cents, and for " absent 
at an alarm " to twenty-five cents. 

After the meeting of October, 1855, there is no record of any 
meetings until July 30, 1859, when a meeting of citizens was held 
to form a company for Torrent Engine No. i. A committee was 
appointed to draft a code of by-laws. The by-laws were reported 
at an adjourned meeting, August 6, and adopted, and a board of 
officers chosen, the new by-laws being much the same in form as 
the original draft of 1844. 

On December 9, 1859, appears the first record of taking this 
engine to a fire, though it had undoubtedly done much actual ser- 
vice at fires during the fifteen years since it was brought to the 
village. At this date " the Torrent Engine was taken out to a fire 
" and work about two and half hours on Queen St., the first that 
" play on the fire by ten minuets." 

On May 12, i860, the company voted to have uniforms, and 
appointed a committee to see what kind of uniforms to get. The 
record leaves the matter just there. 

At the date of the annual meeting, March 30, 1863. the clerk 
records that no one was present besides himself, and that he took 
the responsibility of adjourning the meeting to May 9, at which 
date enough members were present to elect officers, and fifteen 
members were recorded absent. At the meeting of June 13, 
1863, the clerk records, for the first time, the names of members 
present, and notes that all other members were absent, — the num- 
ber present was nine. Before this date the record shows the 
names of absentees. 

On July 14, 1866, it was voted to have the engine repaired. It 
had been in use for twenty-two years. At the August meeting of 
that year the clerk records that the engine had been repaired, 
and that it worked very well. 

The company went to the fire at the Dr. Little block, August 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 13/ 

15, and did good service there. Also attended at the three fires 
at Penacook mill in November, and the larger fire at same mill, 
December 29, when the roof was burned off. June 8 the com- 
pany attended the complimentary supper at the Washington 
House, given by the superintendent of the Northern railroad in 
recognition of their services at the fire at the railroad bridge. 
September 25, 1867, the company went on duty at the John 
Johnson shop fire, and on October 22 they were again on duty 
two hours at the old brick grist-mill. On January 2, 1869, the 
fire at the cooper shop of Barron, Dodge & Co. called for ten 
hours' service by the company. July 8, 1869, the fire at Sanders 
block required the attention of the company for two hours. 
November 5 the company put in two and a half hours for fire 
duty at the house of L. T. Boyce. The clerk's record shows no 
meetings between November, 1869, and August, 1870. Then 
there was another intermission until March 29, 1871. In July, 

1 87 1, the company voted to procure uniforms, and on December 
29 of that year the first ball was given at Exchange hall with one 
hundred and twenty-five couples present. There was no other 
meeting until the annual meeting March 25, 1872. On July 4, 

1872, the company celebrated the day by a trial of engines with 
the Pioneer company, which resulted in favor of the Torrent com- 
pany, who then escorted the Pioneers to the engine house and 
served light refreshments, after which a part of both companies 
went to Laconia to attend the celebration there. In August the 
company decided to complete their uniforms by the addition of 
black pants with a white stripe. The annual ball of 1873 was 
held on January 10, and the companies from Lake Village and 
Laconia were invited guests on that occasion. 

At the April, 1873, meeting voted to purchase a flag. On 
May 10 the company partook of a supper given by Mrs. Bonney, 
and at the same meeting appointed Charles Gilson as drill master. 
The celebration of the "glorious Fourth" this year cost the com- 
pany twenty-five cents per member. On July 12 the company 
received a communication from Torrent Engine Co. No. 2, of La- 
conia, presenting a badge to the foreman. This seemed to im- 
press the members with their own need of badges, and led to a 
vote at the August meeting to procure them. It appears that the 



138 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

badges were highly prized, as at the September meeting the com- 
pany v^oted that if any member loaned his badge to any person 
not a member of the compan)^ such member should be expelled. 
September 23 the Torrents worked at the fire at Wm. R. Wad- 
leigh's saloon. In October, 1873, it was decided to hold a series 
of six assemblies during the winter. Attended the annual parade 
of the Concord Fire Department this year, and on November 8 
voted to attend the ball of the Torrent No. 2 company at Laconia. 
The annual ball of the compan)- was held on January 9, 1874. 
On May 9, .1874, received an invitation from the Fisherville Me- 
morial Association to join the parade and take part in the exer- 
cises of Memorial Day, June 6, and accepted the invitation. The 
Torrents accepted an invitation of the Concord Fire Department 
to parade with them on June 4, and they procured new hats for 
that occasion. 

The company had a celebration on June 17, this year, having 
as guests on the occasion the Franklin Engine Co., and music was 
furnished by I^rown's band, at an expense of $50. There can 
be no records found of this company between November, 1874, 
and May, 1881. At the latter date the company received an invi- 
tation from W. I. Brown Post No. 31, to participate in the exercises 
of Memorial Day, but declined it. Jul\- 11, 1881, the foreman, 
Geo. A. Morse, resigned his office, this being the only case of the 
kind recorded, and the company voted not to accept his resigna- 
tion, so he served out his term. September 30, voted to attend 
the fair of the Boscawcn h\'\rmers' Club ; and on October 10 ac- 
cepted an invitation to attend the annual parade of the Concord 
Fire Department. On March 3, 1882, the company served at the 
fire of the Pioneer engine house, which was totally consumed, 
together with the engine and ever}'thing inside the building. 
March 1 8 the Torrents also served at a fire at the Capt. John 
Sawyer place, the barn being consumed, but the house was saved- 
March 28 a committee was appointed to act for the company in 
the matter of building a new engine house, and on April 20 the 
location was fixed for the new house, on the lot near the Penacook 
House. August 21, 1882, the company attended a fire on Union 
street, where a barn belonging to G. \V. VVadleigh was burned — 
total loss. At the meeting of Januar}' 18, 1883, it was decided to 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 



139 




TuKKli.NT li.\(.I.\E HdUSE. 



dedicate the new engine house on February 22, 1883. The new 
house seemed to require more service from the steward than here- 
tofore, as the company voted to raise his salar\- to $25 per year. 

The constitution having become somewhat out of date, a com- 
mittee was appointed to revise it at the annual meeting March 10, 
1884. and at the April meeting voted to have the revised copy 
printed. June 9, 1884, the company challenged the Pioneer En- 
gine Co. to pla}' a game of ball ; the result was in favor of the 
Torrents, who won the ball and bats, and placed them as trophies 
in the new engine house. In October, 1884, the members raised 
by subscription the sum of ^22 for the benefit of John M. 
Mcser\-c, who was suffering from an accident. The company 
went to a fire March 30, 1885, at the house of John Gahagan, 
near Woodlawn cemetery. April 10. 1886, the company went to 



140 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

the fire at Geo. E. Flanders's house at the Borough. In August, 
1886, the company procured an alarm bell for their house. April 
13, 1887, the company worked at the fire in the forge shop of 
Concord Axle Co., and on December 2"] they also did good ser- 
vice at the fire in J. E. Symonds & Co.'s table shop. The annual 
supper in 1888 was held on February 22, as usual. On Decem- 
ber 15 the company attended the fire at A. W. Rolfe's house. 

In the spring of 1889 the company caused an article to be 
placed in the warrant for annual town-meeting, to see if the town 
would vote to purchase a new engine, and appropriate $1,000 
for the same. The town voted to appropriate $1,000 for fire 
apparatus, and directed the company to purchase a new engine at 
a price not exceeding that sum. The new engine arrived early in 
June, and was taken out for trial at a special meeting, June 8. It 
proved quite satisfactory to the company, as well as to the citi- 
zens who were present. The final report of the committee who 
purchased the new apparatus, engine and hose wagon, reported 
June 10 that they had expended $20 more than the town ap- 
propriation, and the company voted to pay that excess of $20 
from their own treasury. August i the company voted to pay 
$20 on account of funeral expenses of the wife of Joseph Me- 
serve, a member of the company. 

In February, 1890, the company voted to ask the town to make 
the yearly payment to company $350 per year, instead of 
$250 that had been paid heretofore. It was also voted to have 
a ball on February 21. 

April 16, 1892, the company turned out to a fire in the tene- 
ment house on High street, owned by \V. W. Eastman. The ball 
for this year was held on January 15. The company also main- 
tained a baseball team for two or three years about this time. On 
September 26, 1892, the company attendetl at the fire of B. 
Frank Varney's house at the Borough. The ball this year ga\-e 
net proceeds amounting to $19.38. The compan\' had a little 
celebration of their own on July 4, 1892. The engine house was 
lighted with electric lights this year. The ball in January, 1893, 
gave net proceeds of $89.75. I'^ April, 1893, it was voted that 
all new members joining the compan}' should pa}-a fee of $2.00. 
This was a new feature in the organization. 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. I4I 

At the March meeting it was proposed to form a hose company, 
this being on account of the introduction of the Penacook and 
Boscawen water s}'stem, which gave so great pressure in the hy- 
drants that the engine was hardl\' needed. This action was con- 
summated April 3, 1893. In 1894 the compan}' had rather a 
modest celebration July 4, as the record shows that the)' were to 
spend only $10 on the entertainment. On August 4 the}' ac- 
cepted an in\'itation to join with the Pioneer Engine Co. in having 
a field da}'. The compan\- received an invitation from the Bos- 
cawen Hose Co. to be their guests at a supper, in Januar\M895, 
and the invitation was accepted. The annual ball in 1895 P'lid so 
well that those members who bought tickets were paid back. In 
June, 1895, the salary of the driver of the hose wagon was fixed 
at $10 per \-ear. The annual ball in Januar}', 1896, gave the 
company a financial profit of $37.85. In June they arranged for 
telephone service at the engine house. For the 4th of July this 
)"ear ^15 was voted for expenses, and the Pioneer Engine Co. 
was invited to attend. The company's first record of using the 
"chemical" engine was on Jul\- 4, 1896, at a chimney fire. 

There was the usual celebration Jul}- 4, 1897, and a clambake, 
in compan}- with the Boscawen compan}', August 28. The ball 
in 1898 was more successful than usual, giving a net profit of 
$51.64. The compan}' again celebrated the "Fourth" in 1898, 
appropriating $12 for expenses, and about this time the com- 
pany raised a flagpole in front of the engine house and purchased 
a flag for same. On November 21, 1898, the company voted to 
purchase uniforms at a cost of $14 each. At this time the 
compan}' voted to join the New Hampshire Fire Association. 

On December 5 the compan}' voted to lower the flag ; it had 
been fl}'ing since the declaration of war against Spain, but at the 
Januar}' meeting the committee on lowering flag asked for another 
month's time, which was granted. In P^ebruar}- the committee 
reported that the}' had taken down the flag and had it repaired. 
The annual ball in 1899 gave a net profit of if!2 5.69. In March, 
1899, tl''c compan}' called on the town to make repairs on the 
engine house at an estimated expense of $200. The regular 4th 
of Jul}' entertainment was held as usual in 1899. P^oreman A. F. 
Gage resigned his ofhce on August 7, after serving nine years. 



142 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



The company accepted an invitation from Captain Newhall of the 
Veteran Firemen of Concord to attend the muster at Manchester 
on October 12. After changing the organization to a hose com- 
pany the engine was sold to go to Nantucket, Mass. The oflficers 
of the company have been as follows : 

Clerk and Treas. 

Luther G. Jolinson. 

S. D. Ouimby. 

S. D. Quimby. 

\Vm. H. Allen. 

VVm. H. Allen. 

Geo. B. Davis. 

Neliemiah Butler. 

John C. Johnson. 

John C. Johnson. 

Luther G. Johnson. 

Foster L. Balch. 

Isaac K. Gaee. 



Year 

S44 
845 
846 

847 
848 
S49 
S50 
851 
852 
853 
854 
855 

859 
860 
S61 
862 
863 
864 
866 
867 
868 
869 
870 

87' 
872 

873 
S74 
] 'ear 
881 
882 
883 
884 
885 
886 
887 
888 



Cliairniaii Directors . 

Abner B. Winn. 

Henry H. Brown. 

Abner B. Winn. 

John Currier. 

Samuel F. Brown. 

Samuel F. Brown. 

G. A. Peaslee. 

Calvin Gage. 

Daniel S. Balch 

S. D. Hubbard. 

Geo. H. Hinton. 

Bickford Lang, 
Ass^t Foreman . 

Abner B. Winn. 

Abner B. Wmn. 

Healy Morse. 

Abner B. Winn. 

Isaac K. Gage. 

A. G. Howe. 

E. R. Manning. 

D. E. Jones. 

John F. Sessions. 

Abram Hook, Jr. 

Abram Hook, Jr. 

Frank H. Morse. 

Frank H. Morse. 

Alanson Foster. 

Edward Campbell. 
.•/j\>7 For em an. Clerk. 

J. S. Boutelle. D. E. Jones. 



Foreman. 
Henry H. Brown. 
Abner B. Winn. 
John S. Brown. 
John C. Gage. 
Albert H. Drown. 
Albert H. Drown. 
Abner B. Winn. 
Abner B. Winn. 
Calvin Gage. 
Calvin Gage. 
Calvin Gage. 
Calvin Gage. 

Calvin Gage. 

Calvin Gage. 

Abner B. Winn. 

Almon A. Harris. 

Abner B. Winn. 

Abner B. Winn. 

S. G. Danforth. 

S. G. Danforth 

David E. Jones. 

John F. Sessions. 

John F. Sessions. 

David E. Jones. 

Henry C. Briggs. 

Henry C. Briggs. 

Henry C. Briggs. 

Foreman. 
Geo. A. Morse. 

George Neller. J. S. Boutelle. D. E. Jones. 
Edward Campbell. A. Hook, Jr. D. E. Jones. 
Edward Campbell. Chas. V. Fisher. D. E. Jones. 
Edward Campbell. Chas. V. Fisher. D. E. Jones. 
Edward Campbell. J. M. Morse. D. E. Jones. 
Edward Campbell. J. M. Morse. 
Edward Campbell. J. M. Morse. 



A. G. Howe. 
A. G. Howe. 
Luther Gage. 
Luther Gage. 
Luther Gage. 
Luther Gage. 
Geo. A. Morse. 
Geo. A. Morse. 
Geo. A. Morse. 
Geo. A. Morse. 
Geo. A. Morse. 
Geo. A. Morse. 
Geo. A. Morse. 
Geo. A. Morse. 
Geo. A. .Morse 

1) easurer. 

(Jeo. E. Fisher. 

Geo. E. Fisher. 

Geo. E. Fisher. 

Geo. E. Fisher. 

Geo. E. Fisher. 

Geo. Neller. 
Arthur A. Gage. Geo. Neller. 
Arthur A. Gage. Geo. Neller. 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 



143 



Year. Foreman. Ass't Fore/nan. Clerk. Treasurer. 

1889. James M. Morse. J. S. Boutelle. John Meserve. Geo. Neller. 

K John S. Boutelle. Addison Gage. J. M. Meserve. Geo. Neller. 

^° I Addison F. Gage. M. H. Fellows. Geo. H. Gross. W. T. Chandler. 



W. T. Chandler. 
W. T. Chandler. 

W. T. Chandler. 



1891. Addison F. Gage. M. H. Fellows. Geo. H. Gross. 

1892. Addison F. Gage. M. H. Fellows. Geo. H. Gross. 

o S Ajj- T- ^- M- H. Fellows. ^ u /- 

i8g^ < Addison F. Gage. . , c . Geo. H. Gross. 

( Ambrose Sweet. 

1894. Addison F. Gage. William Neller. Geo. H. Gross. VV. T. Chandler. 

1895. Addison F. Gage. William Neller. Geo. H. Gross. W. T. Chandler. 

1896. Addison F. Gage. William Neller. Harlow F. Rolfe. W. T. Chandler. 

1897. Addison F. Gage. J. E. Howard. Harlow F. Rolfe. A. G. Harris. 

1898. Addison F. Gage. J. E. Howard. Harlow F. Rolfe. A. G. Harris. 

1899. Addison F. Gage. J. E. Howard. Harlow F. Rolfe. A. Ci. Harris. 

1900. Almon G. Harris. Ambrose Sweet. Harlow F. Rolfe. Henry C. Rolfe. 

1901. Ambrose Sweet. J. E. Howard. Harlow F. Rolfe. Henry C. Rolfe. 

PIONEER ENGINE CO. 
This company was organized at a meeting of citizens held at 
the Washington House on April 7, 1849, under the name of the 
Concord Fire Association, attached to Engine No. 8. A code of 
by-laws was adopted at this meeting, and the names of the origi- 
nal members were attached thereto as follows. On April 8 : 

James Rand, Jacob P. Sanders, Eldad Tenney, Jolin C. Pillsbury, 

Jacob C. Whidden, Thomas Chase, 
Perley Knowles, Jeremiah A. Haines, 
Calvin Gerrish, George Dame, 
Chas. W. Hardy, Alexander Ferson, 
Jeremiah Burpee, Henry H. Amsden, 
Moses G. Downing, Wm. (i. Barrett, 
Alpheus Ci. Howe. Jerome Stark, 



David A. Brown, John A. Coburn, 

S. R. Flanders, Oliver B. Elkins, 

Jos. VV. Fales, Asa H. Morrill, 

J. H. Willard, Rodney Dutton, 

P'isher Ames, Albert Ames, 

Geo. B. Pushee, Moses H. Fifield, 

SamM B. Chase, Wm. H. .Allen, 
Joseph Brown. 

On April 10, Horatio N. Harvey, Samuel Kennedy, Geo. B. 
Burnham, James Connor, S. W. Smith. On April 17, Albert H. 
Drown, Calvin C. Carlton, Albert A. Moore, Israel W. Drown, 
Moses H. Morrill, James L. Pitts, Daniel W. Long, and on April 
28, John Sawyer, — making forty-six names in all. Of these forty- 
si.x original members only two are living in Jul\', 1900, Albert H. 
Drown of Revere, Mass., and Moses H. Fifield of East VVeare, N. H. 

On April 7, the officers of the company were elected as fol- 
lows : Foreman, James Rand; ist engineer, David A. Brown; 2d 
engineer, Henry H. Amsden; clerk, Samuel B. Chase; auditing 
committee, John C. I'illsbury, Albert Ames, and Rodney Dutton. 



144 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

At the meeting of April \y a committee was appointed to cor- 
respond with the manufacturers of fire engines and ascertain upon 
what terms an engine could be purchased. This committee 
reported on April 28, and submitted a proposition from James 
Smith of New York city offering an engine for $735. The same 
committee was then authorized to accept the offer of Mr. Smith 
and engage of him the engine as offered. This engine was known 
as a Button tub, and was of larger capacity than any engine in 
the city or vicinity, all the other engines in the vicinit)' being 
Hunneman tubs, built at Boston. 

At this meeting of April 28 another committee was instructed 
to ascertain upon what terms the lot of land at the intersection of 
Merrimac street and Merrimac lane could be purchased for a loca- 
tion of an engine house. It appears that this lot could not be 
immediately obtained, as the first engine house was built on Main 
street, and is still standing and known as the Cleveland house. 
This engine house was completed in November, 1849, ^""^1 ^i-"'" 
nished at an expense of ^34. 94. 

There was considerable delay in the building of the engine, as 
the record shows that David A. Brown was sent to New York in 
August to hurry up the delivery of the engine. At the August 
meeting a committee was appointed to purchase a hose carriage, 
and it is still doing duty as a hose carriage at the Concord Axle 
Works. It went through the fire when the engine house was 
burned, but was refitted with new wheels and is still in good order. 

The social duties received early attention by the companx', as 
they voted to have a supper on October 17 at the Washington 
House, and invited the Torrent Engine company to be present, 
from which it appears that the relations of the two companies of 
the village were harmonious. 

At the annual meeting April 5, 1851, a committee was ap- 
pointed to revise the by-laws, which committee reported on Ma\' 
30, and their report was accepted and adopted, the jM'incipal 
change at that time being the name of the company, which was 
then made *' Pioneer Fire Company," attached to Engine No. 8 
in Concord, but the general custom was to call the company 
" Pioneer No. 8." 

The first uniforms for the compaiu' were obtained in the spring 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 45 

of 185 I, but the records do.not give an}' information in regard to 
"ways and means" of procuring them. This uniform consisted 
of a red flannel blouse or jacket, a black belt, and a glazed cap. 
At the meeting of June 7 the company voted " that each member 
" of the company furnish himself with a uniform, take the same to 
" his residence, and be responsible for the safe-keeping and deliv- 
" ery of the same when he leaves the company." Also voted 
" that David A. Brown take charge of the spare uniforms." Sub- 
sequent records show that a part, at least, of the expense for uni- 
forms was provided for by applying the amount received from the 
town of Concord for salaries of the company. 

On May 22, 1852, the company voted to turn out on Saturday, 
May 29, and receive a visit from Engine Company No. 3 of 
Concord. A committee was appointed to make the necessary 
arrangements, and funds to provide entertainment for the visitors 
were raised by subscription, amounting to $72, of which a balance 
of $6.52 remained after the entertainment. This visit of Engine 
Company No. 3 was a great occasion for the Pioneer company, 
and for the whole village as well, for it was to be a grand trial for 
supremacy in the fire department of Concord. The Pioneers 
believed that they had the best engine, and had not hesitated to 
proclaim that belief during the three 3'ears that the No. 8 machine 
had been in the village, while the Concord bo}'s of No. 3 com- 
pany were quite as sure that their engine and their company had 
no equal in the city or elsewhere. So the}' came up for this trial 
of engines in full confidence of their superiority and expectation 
of showing the same to their rural competitors. 

The No. 3 company was really a very fine body of men, all, or 
nearly all, being workmen at the Abbot-Downing shops. Their 
foreman was James L. Mason, the superintendent of the black- 
smith department of those shops. The compan}' wore a new and 
very stylish uniform, and beside them the Pioneers, in their red 
flannel shirts, looked rather rough and rural. After a parade 
through the streets of the village, in which the Concord company 
appeared to advantage, the engines were placed for trial at the 
east end of the canal in front of the Penacook mill. The first 
trial was with vertical streams, in which the Concord compan}' 
appeared to have a little the best of it, and of course were dul}' 



146 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

elated. The second trial was with hotizontal streams, and in this 
the Pioneers were plainly superior, as they produced a more solid 
stream and forced it to a greater distance. This gave the \'illage 
people their first opportunity to cheer, and they improved the 
occasion. This did not convince the Concord company that the 
Pioneer engine was the better machine, so they proposed a trial 
to see which machine could " wash " the other, feeling confident 
that their No. 3 engine could throw more water, even if it could 
not throw it as far as the Pioneer could. This was their great 
mistake. 

The No. 3 engine was first set at the canal and pumped the 
water into the tub of the Pioneer engine for five minutes, but the 
most frantic efforts of the No. 3 men could not fill up the Pioneer 
tub, and much less " wash " it. The position of the engines was 
then reversed, — the Pioneer was set at the canal and pumped 
water into the tub of No. 3. In one half minute from the start 
the No. 3 engine was " washed," and the water poured out of the 
rear end of their tub in such quantity that more than one half the 
men of No. 3 company were driven away from the brakes, amid 
the cheers and shouting of the village people, who were wild with 
joy at seeing the Concord company so discomfited. 

The Pioneer company, at this time under the command of 
Albert H. Drown, was drilled in the working of the engine with 
military precision, and their performance on this occasion reflected 
much credit on the commander. The company contained many 
of the most powerful men in the village, — big six-foot men, weigh- 
ing two hundred to two hundred and fifty pounds, — who had the 
strength to pump on the engine brakes at a surprising speed, and 
could hold out for a long trial. It would be difficult to get so 
powerful a body of men together in the village in this last year 
of the century. 

This great trial pro\'cd conclusively that the Pioneer engine 
was the most powerful machine in the city, and the superiority 
was never again questioned. After the trial was over the Pioneers 
escorted the No. 3 company to the hotel, and gave them a fine 
banquet in Washington hall, which was duly appreciated by their 
Concord guests. 

In May, 1853, the company voted to hold a levee, and ap- 



ENGINE CO.\[rANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 4/ 

pointed a committee to make arrangements. This levee was held 
in Graphic hall on June 23 ; the price of admission was fixed at 
twelve and a half cents. It was a very successful and enjoyable 
occasion. One of the fire companies from Concord was present, 
also one company from Nashua came up and brought the Milford 
Brass Band with them. This was an excellent band, and their 
music was a prominent feature of the entertainment. The Fisher- 
ville Brass Band also played a few pieces during the evening. As 
there was not time enough to dispose of all articles on the first 
night, the affair was adjourned to the following evening, when the 
remaining articles were sold, and the proceeds of the levee 
amounted to $152.62 after paying all expenses. 

These funds were used in part to fit up and furnish the new 
engine hall, which job cost $64.41, as reported by the committee. 
This hall was in the new engine house, erected in 1853 on the 
triangular piece of land at the junction of Merrimac street and 
Merrimac lane, this being the location proposed in 1849, at the 
organization of the company. 

At the meeting of September 5, 1853, the company voted to 
attend the firemen's muster at Lowell on September 15, but the 
records do not show whether they went or not. 

In the spring of 1854 the firemen of Concord petitioned for an 
increase of pay, and the refusal of the city council to grant the 
advance asked for caused considerable trouble in the department, 
but this company, by resolutions passed at their meeting of May 6, 
strong!}' supported the action of the city government. 

On September 2, 1854, the company voted to turn out and do 
escort duty at the fair of the Merrimack County Agricultural 
Society on the 27th of that month. 

September 25, 1854, the Committee on Flagstaff reported that 
they had performed their duty by erecting a flagstaff near the 
eastern end of the engine house, at an expense of $101.93. This 
was the largest and finest fiagstaff ever erected in the \illage. 
The company voted to raise funds by subscription to pay 
expenses, and it was done on the spot immediately, and then 
three cheers were given to mark the successful completion of this 
undertaking. 

The original uniforms having been discarded, the company 



148 HISTORY OP^ TENACOOK. 

voted to sell them at auction. That was done on June 2, 1855, 
and the proceeds of the sale amounted to $1 1.04. 

At the June meeting in 1855 the company voted to turn out 
for escort duty on July 4, for a 5unda}'-school celebration. This 
celebration was at the grove on the north side of Queen street, 
about one quarter mile west of Main street. 

The chief engineer of the Concord fire department inspected 
this company on October 6, 1855, after which the company 
formed in line, and headed by the Concord Brass Band, escorted 
the chief and invited guests to the Washington House, where all 
partook of an oyster supper. After marching back to the engine 
house, the band gave a concert in the engine hall. It appears 
that the Concord band was modest in their charge for services on 
this occasion, as the record shows that the company raised seven 
dollars by subscription to pay the band for their services. 

A committee was appointed September 5, 1857, to again revise the 
by-laws. The committee reported October 8, proposing a change 
by which the candidates for admission to the company should be 
referred to a standing committee, and that candidates must first be 
reported favorably by the standing committee before action was 
taken by the company. This change was adopted by vote of the 
company. On June 30, 1858, the company received an invita- 
tion from Horace Chase Lodge of Freemasons to accompany 
them to Concord on July 5, and participate in the celebration of 
Independence Day, and in the ceremonies of laying the corner 
stone of the Masonic Temple. The company accepted the invita- 
tion, and voted to procure white pants to wear on that occasion. 

The Pioneers were always liberal patrons of the band, and the 
record shows that on September 4, 1858, the company voted to 
give the Fisherville Cornet Band the use of the engine hall for a 
band room — and on the same date refused to allow tlie debating 
club to use the hall. 

On June 28, 1859, the company accepted an in\itation to 
parade on July 4, but who gave the invitation or where they 
went is not recorded. Probably this was the 4th of July celebra- 
tion which consisted mostly of an " Ancient and Horrible " par- 
ade in the morning. There was a large and elaborate procession, 
with man}' grotesque features. At the close of the parade in 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 49 

Washington square, a photograph was taken of the company, 
inckiding the band, which was in a large wagon, — a copy of which 
photograph is still in possession of the writer. On August 6, 
1859, the record says: "Voted to adjourn for the purpose of tak- 
ing measures to see about going to the Isles of Shoals." At the 
meeting of September 4, voted, — "That the thanks of Pioneer 
Engine Company, No. 8, of Fisherville, N. H., be returned to the 
Fire Department and citizens of Portsmouth, for their cordial 
reception and liberal entertainment during our late visit to that 
city." 

This is all that is recorded in the clerk's book of the most nota- 
ble excursion in the history of the organization. The following 
is an account of that memorable occasion by one who was 
there : At the meeting of the company on the evening before the 
excursion, it was arranged to start on the train leaving the Pena- 
cook station at five o'clock a. m. Some of the members ex- 
pressed the opinion that measures should be taken to wake up all 
of the members on the following morning so that no one should 
get left, and " Bill " Dyer then made the motion "that Mose 
Everett be allowed to snore in the streets from 4:15 to 4:30 a. m. 
without extra pay." The company turned out with full ranks, and 
were accompanied by a number of citizens and invited guests. 
The Fisherville Cornet Band furnished music for the excursion, 
and waked up the remainder of the citizens by their music while 
marching to the station " at five o'clock in the morning." 

The ride to Portsmouth was without special incident, and the 
company arrived in the city by the sea at about 9 a. m. The first 
of the exercises there was a grand parade through the principal 
streets, escorted by delegations from the several fire companies 
of the city. Every engine house in the city was visited, and at 
each one there were "refreshments," mostly in a liquid form. Of 
course the Pioneers felt in duty bound to partake of the refresh- 
ments in a free and impartial manner to show their appreciation 
of the efforts made by the Portsmouth companies for their enter- 
tainment. 

After all the engine houses had been visited the company 
accepted an invitation to call at the Eldredge Brewery. There the 
band, as usual, opened the exercises with some spirited music, 



150 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

and then the whole party were invited to walk in and take some 
samples of the goods there produced. How many other brew- 
eries were visited is not quite clear, but it may be safe to assume 
that all the establishments of that kind received a call from the 
heroic firemen of the Capital city. The company was scheduled 
to attend a banquet at the Rockingham House at one o'clock 
p. m., and managed to arrive there about on time. The banquet 
was quite an elaborate affair for those days, and with a few 
speeches from the mayor, chief of the fire department, and others, 
occupied the attention of the party until three o'clock, when the 
line was formed and the company and guests marched to the 
wharf to embark for the Shoals. 

All conditions for this little sea voyage were propitious. There 
had been a storm blowing in shore for several da}-s, but the storm 
was past, the sun shining brightl}-, and hardl}' a breath of wind 
stirring. The conveyance was a schooner on which all embarked, 
as jolly and happy a crowd as one could wish to see. The boat 
dropped down the river on the ebb tide, with band playing and 
men cheering on the least provocation, but as soon as the boat 
reached the open sea, a sudden and alarming change took place. 
The previous storm had left the wax^es rolling furiously, and as 
there was hardly enough wind to give the boat steerage wa\-, it 
was rolled and pitched in every conceivable direction, so that it 
was about impossible for inexperienced landsmen to stand on the 
deck, in fact they did not care to stand. To sa}- that the men 
were seasick, is stating the case verj- mildly, — thc\' were tcrribh' 
sick, probably more so on account of their exertions at the 
engine houses and breweries in the forenoon. Of the one hun- 
dred and ten persons on board not one dozen escaped the deadly 
seasickness. The Pioneers made a record for seasickness, on 
that day, that has never since been equaled by an}- party sailing 
out of Portsmouth harbor. For six hours (it seemed months) 
the men endured the most scx'cre punishment from Neptune, so 
that when they finally arrived at the Shoals, at nine o'clock at 
night, they were in a pitiable condition. There was then no wharf 
at Star Island, on which they could land ; the schooner was 
anchored at some distance from the shore, and the passengers 
were taken off b\- small boats, — the water being so rough that it 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 151 

seemed quite wonderful that all were landed without accident. 
Some of the men recovered quickly after reaching the island, but 
man}Mvcnt immediatel}' to bed, feeling too miserable to eat any 
supper. 

By sunrise the next morning nearly all had recov^ered and were 
early out on the rocks viewing the ocean. The waves were 
rolling in with such force as to throw the spray entirel}' over the 
lighthouse on White Island, and on Star Island the waves lashed 
against the cliff with a noise like thunder. 

To man}' members of the company this trip was their first 
acquaintance with old ocean, and it is doubtful if any of those 
men will ever forget that glorious display of ocean waves. 

During the day a part of the company and most of the band 
were taken on small boats over to Appledore Island, where the 
band played before the hotel. This boat ride caused a serious 
relapse in the case of some of the convalescents. 

The second night was spent on Star Island, and the second 
morning showed a much calmer sea, so that the compan}- sailed 
back into Portsmouth harbor under more favorable conditions, 
but everyone was glad to get on the solid ground again, and the 
band pla\-ed with its former \-igor as the line marched from the 
wharf up to the railroad station. One or two of the men were 
still so weak that even the motion of the cars made them sick 
again, and they had to leave the train at Newmarket Junction. 
The remainder reached home in good order, and the great " Trip 
to the Shoals " passed into histor}'. 

The Pioneers attended the firemen's muster at Manchester this 
year (1859), accompanied by the band, and had an enjo}^able 
time even if they did not win any prize. 

On February 11, i860, the by-laws were altered so as to con- 
form to the requirements of the city ordinances in relation to the 
date for holding the annual meeting, and in relation to the com- 
pensation of the company clerk. 

On November 23, i860, the company turned out to attend the 
funeral of John A. Kilburn, who was the first member of the com- 
pany who had died since the organization in 1849. 

At the annual meeting February 2, 1861, the company \'oted 
to choose ofificers for the ensuing year, but after a number of 



152 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



unsuccessful attempts to elect a foreman, a vote was taken to 
adjourn, and no further action was taken on the matter during 
that year, but at the next annual meeting in 1862 a foreman and 
a full board of otlficers were elected. 

At this meeting the company appointed nine persons to serve 
as substitutes for members of the company who were absent in 
the army. One of the men thus appointed, David D. Smith, 
went into the army himself before the close of the war. 

The patriotism of the members of this company is shown by 
the fact that sixty-two men, whose names appear on the roll of 
the Pioneer Engine Co., served either in the army or navy during 
the War of the Rebellion. Their names are as follows : 



Jere. S. Durgin, 
Albert H. Drown, 
Leonard Drown, 
Isaac N. Vesper, 
Fisher Ames, 
Chas. G. Knowles, 
Nathan Emerson, 
J. Scott Durgin, 
Joel A. Cushon, 
Hiram Holbrook, 
Geo. W. Corey, 
Ruel G. Morrill, 
Harper S. Allen, 
Wm. H. Moody, 
Geo. N. Cheever, 
L. K. Elliott, 



Samuel Holt, 
James Shepard, 
Chas. D. Rowel 1, 
Isaiah L. Pickard, 
Samuel Chandler, 
Daniel S. Pickard, 
Daniel W. Martin, 
John C. Linehan, 
Wm. Maher, 
James C. Bowen, 
John G. Lovejoy, 
M. D. Boyce, 
Joseph E. Symonds 
B. C. Morrison, 
E. H. Dixon, 
Calvin Gerrish. 



Wm. C. Knowlton, 
Henry F. Brown, 
Samuel Cheney, 
James S. Tyler, 
B. Frank Morse, 
L. F. Connor, 
J. K. Brickett, 
M. H. Sessions, 
H. S. Goodwin, 
Joseph E. Sanders, 
Rufus Cass, 
James Reilly, 
,Geo. W. Vinica, 
Robert Crowther, 
Frank Marden, 
Joseph Morrill, 



P. K. Shepard, 
Daniel Gibson, 
Wm. W. Flanders, 
Geo. E. Flanders, 
James M. Chase, 
E. R. Manning, 
Orvis F. Blinn, 
S. W. Stearns, 
Royal Scales, 
Horace Holcomb, 
Chas. H. Green, 
Michael Griffin, 
James Garvey, 
Albert A. Huff. 



At a special meeting on May 17, 1862, the company voted to 
attend the funeral of Capt. Leonard Drown, of the Second regi- 
ment, N. H. Vols., who was killed at the battle of Williamsburg, 
Va., on May 5. Captain Drown was a very prominent member 
of the company before going into the army, and had been fore- 
man two years. He was the first of the commissioned oflficers 
from New Hampshire that was killed in batUe in the Civil War. 

At the annual meeting in February, 1864, Samuel Mcrriam 
resigned the office of clerk and treasurer, in which office he had 
served for twelve years, and the company gave him a vote of 
thanks for his efficient and satisfactory services. The finances of 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 53 

the company appear to have been in good condition at this 
period, as there was a vote passed instructing the treasurer to put 
one hundred doUars at interest for the benefit of the members. 
It was also voted, at this meeting, to have an oyster supper ; 
probably this was also intended for the benefit of the members. 
On August 9, 1864, the company voted to refresh itself by an 
excursion on the i6th instant to Lake Winnipesaukee, and to 
have a dinner there, to be paid for from the treasury. 

On June 30, 1865, the company turned out and attended the 
funeral of Horace Abbott, who had been the clerk and treasurer 
of the company. 

The city council passed an ordinance January 27, 1866, provid- 
ing that all members of the fire department must be residents of 
the city. This matter was brought up at the annual meeting of 
February 3, and it was voted that the names of all members resid- 
ing out of the city be stricken from the roll. It was also voted 
that the company desired those non-resident members to remain 
connected with the company as honorary members without pay. 

June 8, 1867, the company and Brown's band marched to 
Washington hall, where, in company with Torrent Engine Co., 
they enjoyed an excellent supper. This was furnished by the 
Northern Railroad officers, as a token of appreciation of the ser- 
vices of the fire companies at the burning of the railroad bridge 
on May 28. 

On October 29, 1867, the company turned out and went to 
Concord to take part in the parade and reception to General 
Sheridan. 

In the summer of 1872 the company procured new uniforms, 
but had much discussion about the ways and means for paying 
for them. The company was invited to go to Laconia on July 4 
of this year, but, as they could not arrange to take the engine, 
voted not to go. This company and the Torrent company pa- 
raded at 7 a. m. on the 4th, and after that about fifty of the fire- 
men concluded to go to Laconia to celebrate, and did so. 

August 3 the company was furnished with fifty badges by the 
chief engineer, and Charles Abbott was given the use of the hall 
to drill his drum corps. 

July 19, 1873, the company made arrangements for an excur- 



154 HISTORV OF PENACOOK. 

sion to Hampton beach, a three days' trip. It is known that they 
went, but no record of the fact appears. Brown's band accom- 
panied them, and Boar's Head Hotel was headquarters while at 
Hampton. October i8, 1873, they attended the firemen's parade 
at Concord, having Brown's Cornet Band to furnish music. May 
II, 1874, an invitation was received from the Fisherville Memorial 
society to parade on Decoration day, and the invitation was 
accepted. At this meeting it was voted to procure new fire hats; 
also received invitation from Board of Engineers to parade at 
Concord on election day. They invited the Torrent Engine Co. 
also, and secured Brown's band to furnish music. 

At the meeting of September 19, voted to attend the firemen's 
parade at Concord, September 29, and take Brown's band to fur- 
nish music. At the next meeting the company received a dona- 
tion of $25 from Old Fort Engine Co., No. 2, of East Concord, 
for the benefit received from Brown's band at the parade. 

On December 17, 1875, the company had a supper and dance, 
to which they invited the Old Fort Engine Co., No. 2, and Brown's 
band. The supper was in the hall of the Young People's Union, 
and the dance in Exchange hall. In Ma\', 1875, the company 
accepted an invitation from W. I. Brown Post to parade on Deco- 
ration day, and did the same in 1876. 

The company took part in the annual parade and inspection at 
Concord, September 30, 1876. The compan}' again paraded on 
Decoration day, 1877, on invitation of Post 31, G. A. R. 

On August 22, 1877, the compan)' paraded with fidl ranks, 
wearing new hats, accompanied by Brown's band, W. I. Brown 
Post 31, and Torrent Engine Co., and went to Concord to take 
part in the parade and reception of President Hayes. September i 
the by-laws were all repealed, and an entire new code adopted. 
On October 4 the company went to Concord to attend the annual 
firemen's parade and supper, accompanied b\' Brown's band and 
Torrent ICngine Co. The compan}' celebrated the 4th of Jul}', 
1878, by having a photograph of the company taken by M. S. 
Lamprey. 

For the annual parade at Concord in 1878, the company voted 
to go without the band, but the band, to show their good will, 
offered to escort them to the railroad station, and to escort them 



ENGINE COMPANIES, P^IRES, ETC. 1 55 

back to their house on their return from Concord at lo p. m. 
The Torrent Engine Co. also turned out for escort at the return 
in the evening. Refresliments were served at the Pioneer Engine 
house, and the Torrent boys were then escorted home b}' the Pio- 
neer company and Brown's band. 

January 22, 1879, the company and their ladies visited the Old 
Fort PLngine Co., No. 2, at East Concord. This year the corn- 
pan}^ accepted the invitation of \V. I. Brown Post 31, and paraded 
with the post on Memorial da}-. 

At the annual firemen's parade at Concord, November 17, 
1879, this company had Rolfe & Sanborn's drum corps for music, 
Brown's band having given up business. The Torrent company 
also went down, accompanied by Hildreth's band of Suncook. 
Sometime between October 4, 1879, and January 3, 1880, the 
company had a successful ball, as the committee reported at a 
later date that the net proceeds were $53.73, from which they 
had expended $41.53 for the purchase of two trumpets, for use 
of the foreman and assistant foreman. 

At a special meeting January 21, 1880, the subject of a new 
engine house was discussed, and a committee was appointed to 
prepare plans. Another committee was appointed to petition the 
city government to appropriate a sufficient sum of money to build 
a suitable engine house and ward room. The petition and plan 
were brought before the city council by Alderman John H. Rolfe. 

On May 29, 1880, the compan}' accepted the invitation to par- 
ticipate in the exercises of Memorial day, and at the close of the 
exercises escorted the Torrent company to their house. 

The compan}' attended the firemen's parade at Concord, Octo- 
ber 6, 1880, with Rolfe & Sanborn's drum corps. 

In March, 1881, the city government came up and gave a hear- 
ing on the petition for a new engine house, and on April 2 the 
compan}' heard that the city government had made an appropria- 
tion for the new house, and hatl a little celebration in the e\-ening 
over the good news. 

The company attended the annual parade at Concord, October 
14, 1 88 1, and were escorted by Torrent Engine Co., who had 
Aiken's band of Franklin to furnish music. 

March 3, 1882, the engine house was consumed b}' fire, the 



156 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



alarm being given at 11:20 p. m. The building was almost 
entirely consumed, and the engine which had been in service for 
thirty-three years was entirely destroyed. A number of uniforms, 
the flag, portraits, and trophies were all consumed, and the com- 
pany was forced to an earlier removal to the new engine house 
than had been anticipated. The first meeting at the new house 
on Washington street was held March 4, the day following the 




Pioneer lixcuNE House and Ward Room. 



fire at the old house. The fire department had sent up the 
steamer Governor Hill, and the company was reorganized with 
officers required for steam engine service, and on March 7, Assist- 
ant Engineer D. B. Newhall and other members of the depart- 
ment from Concord came up and instructed the compan)' how to 
operate the steamer. 

At a meeting on March 9 the comi)an\' \otcd in favor of hav- 
ing a hand steamer. On March 22 the department sent to the 
company the old Stark engine from I'ranklin, and the company 



ENGINE COMTANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 57 

took it out to the river and worked it, finding it in fair condi- 
tion. 

On April 7, the steamer "Gov. Hill" and the "Stark" 
hand engines were both taken out for practice. The hand engine 
worked well, but the main shaft of the " Gov. Hill " was 
broken and the engine disabled. On May 6, after discussion of 
the subject, the companies decided in favor of the Silsby manu- 
facture of steam fire-engines. At the meeting of November 4, 
1882, a committee was chosen to take charge of a series of assem- 
blies or dancing parties to be holden during the winter. Decem- 
ber 9 a committee was appointed to draft a new set of by-laws; 
also instructed the alderman of this ward to request the city gov- 
ernment to have the new steamer named " Pioneer." 

The new steamer, Pioneer No. 3, was received early in Jan- 
uary, 1883, and the oflficial inspection and trial of the machine 
took place on Saturday afternoon, January 6. The chief engineer 
of the fire department, John M. Hill, with Assistant Engineers 
Newhall, Ladd, Lovejo}', and Dunklee and many other members 
of the fire department, came up from Concord, and a delegation 
of firemen from West Concord. The mayor, Hon. George A. 
Cummings, ex-Maj^ors Humphrey and Kimball, Gen. J. N. Patter- 
son, Maj. D. B. Donovan, and man}- citizens from the city were 
present to see the new engine. There was also a delegation from 
the Amoskeag fire-engine works at Manchester. The engine 
was the first of its kind e\-er brought into New Hampshire ; all 
previous steam fire-engines in use were of the Amoskeag pattern 
manufactured at the ^lanchester Locomotive Works, and the Con- 
cord people generall)- were strongly prejudiced against the 
innovation of a Silsb\' engine. 

The trial was made in \-er)' rough, inclement weather, but was 
witnessed by nearly the whole male population of the village. 
The first trial was with 350 feet of hose to show how quickly the 
machine could be put in operation. In two and one half minutes 
from the time that the fire was lighted, the boiler being filled with 
cold water, steam began to make in the boiler, and in five minutes 
fifty-five seconds water was forced through 350 feet of hose and 
showed a stream at the nozzle. The pressure was rapidly in- 
creased and a stream from the one-and-one-eighth-inch nozzle was 



158 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

thrown twenty-five feet over the spire of the Baptist church, with 
the engine standing on Canal street. Another test was made at 
the iron bridge on Main street, the engine drawing its water from 
the river, a Hft of over twenty feet. This it did to the surprise of 
the firemen present. Another test was made with a one-and-one- 
quarter-inch nozzle, playing through 150 feet of hose, which sent 
a horizontal stream 240 feet. Another test was made with four 
lines of hose each 100 feet long, and with three-quarter-inch noz- 
zles, by which four streams were sent 144 feet; these four streams 
were then thrown up vertically, making a very striking exhibition 
of the power of the engine. The engine worked so smoothly and 
steadily that a full tumbler of water was placed on the top of one 
hind wheel when the engine was running with full power, and it 
remained there without spillmg the water. 

The whole trial was satisfactory, and the engine was accepted 
by the chief engineer. After the trial, the company, the city 
ofificials, and the invited guests assembled at Exchange hall, where 
a fine dinner was ready for them ; after partaking of that, congrat- 
ulatory remarks were made by th^ mayor and many others, thus 
ending a memorable day in a very happy manner. 

On February i and 2, 1883, the company held a fair to raise 
money to purchase a bell for the new engine house. The committee 
in charge of this fair were Foreman John H. Rolfe, Assistant 
Foreman D. W. Fox, William W. Allen, Abial W. Rolfe, John G. 
Ward, — and it proved to be the most successful fair ever held by 
this organization. The net proceeds were $760. 

The company on February 24, on recommendation of the com- 
mittee, voted to procure a bell of 1,500 pounds' weight, of Wil- 
liam l^akc & Co., Boston, Mass., the price being twent}'-fi\-e cents 
per pound. 

At the meeting of April 14, 1883, the company was visited by 
Mayor Woodman, Chief l^ngineer Hill, ex-Chief Osgood, and 
Assistant Engineer Newhall. The engine was taken out and 
worked to the satisfaction of the visitors. On July 7 the com- 
pany received a present from Hon. John C. Linehan of an elegant 
photograph album. 

September i the company voted to hold a course of assemblies 
during the coming season. September 8 the engine was taken 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 159 

out and worked ; with 200 feet of hose a stream was played 240 
feet. This evidently pleased the boys so much that the\' desired 
to show the engine at Concord, and arranged to take the engine 
down to the annual firemen's parade, and give the Concord people 
a demonstration of its superiority. The engine was again tried 
October 6, and played a single stream through 100 feet of hose 
256 feet, and by using two lines of hose, each 100 feet, siamesed, 
the stream was thrown 300 feet. At the firemen's parade, October 
9, at Concord, the company gave an exhibition of the engine, 
playing one, two, and four streams; and playing through 300 feet 
of hose they threw a stream over the eagle on the state house. 

The company took up a new line of entertainment on December 
8, 1883, by arranging for a lecture by Gen. Sam. Carey. 

At this meeting a fine watch chain was presented to the retiring 
engineer, G. S. Locke. At the meeting of February 9, 1884, the 
company voted to send a challenge to Captain Toof of steamer 
Governor Hill, for a trial of engines for a stake of $250. On 
June 17, 1884, the company received a challenge from Torrent 
Engine Company to play a game of ball, the company which 
should be beaten to pay for the supper for both companies. They 
accepted the challenge and appointed a committee to make all 
arrangements, but the game was won by the Torrent company. 

July 5 the company voted to procure badges at a cost of $1.25 
each. 

At the annual meeting, December 12, 1885, the foreman, stew- 
ard, and engineer were made a committee on dances. Also voted 
to have a sleighride, and appointed a committee to make the 
arrangements. 

August 9, 1886, the company attended the funeral of their late 
member, H. A. Clark. They also voted to pay the widow thirty 
dollars from the treasury, this being the first action of the kind 
since the company was organized. 

On April 9, the foreman, in behalf of the Silsby Manufacturing 
Company, presented an elegant gold-headed cane to George S. 
Locke, this being a present from the manufacturing company to 
the engineer of the first Silsby engine in New Hampshire. 

The fire at the table shop of J. E. Symonds & Co., on East 
Canal street, December 27, 1887, gave the company the most 



l60 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

severe work that they had known for many years; the fire broke 
out at I : 45 a. m. and the company were on duty continuously 
until 12 o'clock noon; the weather was very cold and handling of 
the hose was difficult. 

The record of April 7, 1888, shows that J. E. Symonds donated 
his last six months' pay to the company, and the money was 
used to provide entertainment for the company on Fast day. 

At the meeting of April 5, 1890, the company \-oted to procure 
new nickel-silver badges. 

At the meeting in September, 1 891, the company received from 
J. C. Morrison certain parts of the old Torrent engine, to be kept 
as mementoes of the first fire-engine brought into the village. 

At the regular meeting in September, 1891, the company re- 
ceived an order from Chief Engineer Davis to appear at the 
Central Fire Station on October i , at i : 30 p. m., to participate in 
the annual parade of the fire department. 

Then appointed a committee to procure regulation uniforms 
and hire money to pay for same, and the amount of same be 
paid from the subsequent salaries of the members. 

Twenty-nine new uniforms were received September 29, from 
G.W. Simmons & Co., Boston, cost of same $405.60, and the com- 
pany used the new uniforms at the parade in Concord, October i. 

December 31, 1891, the Sanders block was burned. The alarm 
was given at 7 : 20 a. m. The company responded very quickly 
and had a stream of water on the fire in three minutes after 
arrival. The building burned rapidly, and at one time the Wash- 
ington House took fire also. Assistant Engineer Allen then 
telephoned to Concord for assistance and the steamer Kearsarge, 
with Chief Davis, arrived in forty minutes from the time of the 
alarm at Concord. All pipes on the engine were frozen on 
arrival, but were soon thawed out and the steamer did good service 
in helping drown out the fire. 

The weather was extremely cold, so that the water thrown on 
the building quickly froze, and the ladders and hose as well as the 
building were shortly covered with ice. The Concord company re- 
turned at 10 : 30 a. m., as the fire had then been nearU^ extinguished. 
It was a dangerous fire, and with less prompt or less efficient 
work by the firemen would have soon been a great conflagration. 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. l6l 

February 17, 1892, the company responded to an alarm of fire 
in a tenement house on Summer street. Fire was caused by 
overturning an oil stov^e, and Miss Mary Bean was burned so that 
she lived but an hour. This was the first fire in the village that 
caused loss of life. 

In October, 1892, the engine house was wired and lighted with 
electric lamps. October 6, 1892, the company went to Concord 
and took part in the annual parade and supper of the fire depart- 
ment. 

On April 20, 1893, the company received an order to go to 
Concord to assist in subduing a fire at the Mead & Mason shops. 
The engine and hose carriage were taken as far as West Concord, 
when another order was received ordering the company to return 
to the house. 

On August 19, 1893, the company took their annual outing at 
Broad Cove, and on October 5 they went to Concord and took part 
in the firemen's parade. 

The annual field day of the company for 1894 was celebrated 
August 10 by an outing at Broad Cove, in company with the Tor- 
rent Engine Company; C. P. Shepard and H. Morrill, caterers. 

The parade of the fire department occurred at Concord, October 
4, 1894, and the Pioneers were present. 

The annual outing for 1895 occurred in August, ex-members of 
the company being invited to participate on this occasion. 

At the meeting of December, 1895, the former method of elect- 
ing members of the company was abandoned, and from that date 
the company simply voted to recommend persons to the chief 
engineer for election. 

February 2, 1896, shows the first record of using the "Extin- 
guisher" at a fire, this extinguisher being one of the small hand 
machines. 

April 4, 1896, voted to put in a telephone at engine house. 
The outing for 1896 was an excursion to Nantasket Beach on July 
31 and August i. 

October 30, 1896, the company participated in the parade of 
the fire department at Concord, in honor of Merchants' week. 
West Concord drum corps furnished music for them on parade. 

August 6, 1898, the company sent a communication to the city 



1 62 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

council, by a committee of citizens, asking for better facilities for 
taking the apparatus to fires. 

At the meeting of September 3, 1898, the chief engineer being 
present asked for an expression of opinion about having a parade. 
One voted in favor and seventeen against it. At this meeting the 
company appointed a delegate to attend a meeting at Manchester 
looking to the formation of a state firemen's relief association. 

On September 8, 1898, the company attended the funeral of 
Frederick Keefe, and did escort duty for the funeral procession. 
Mr. Keefe was a member of the First New Hampshire Regiment 
during the Spanish War, who died at the hospital at Manchester. 

At the April meeting, 1899, the company voted to celebrate the 
fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the company, and appointed 
a committee to make arrangements for same. 

This celebration took place on September 14, 1899, at Con- 
toocook River Park. A large number of invited guests were 
present from the village and neighboring towns, including the chief 
engineer of Concord, W. C. Green, ex-Chief Daniel B. Newhall, 
and other members of the fire department ; also ofificers and 
members of the Torrent company, and a host of citizens. Dinner 
was served in the pavilion, after which Hon. John C. Linehan read 
an historical address of great interest, which was received with 
applause by the audience. 



Vedr. Fore VI ail. 

1849. James Rand. 

1850. Albert H. Drown. 
1851. 

1852. 

1851^ 

1854. 

1855. Leonard Drown. 

1856. 

1857. Albert II. Drown. 

1858. 

1859. 

i860. 



OMTANV 


OFP^ICER 


s. 


Year. 






Clerk. 


1849. 


s 


imuel B. Chase 


1850. 


Isaac 


K. Connor. 


1851. 






" 


1852. 


S 


imuel Merriam. 


1853. 








1854. 








1855. 








1856. 








1857. 








1858. 








1859. 








i860. 









ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 



163 



Vfar. 


Foreman. 


Year. 




Clerk. 


1861. 


Albert H. Drown, 


[861. 


Samuel Merriam. 


1862. 


" 


1862. 




I( 


1863. 
1864. 


Sylvester G. Long. 


1863. 
1864. 


Horace Abbott. 


1865. 


John WHiitakcr. 


1865. 




" 


1866. 




1866. 


Calvin Roberts. 


1867. 
1868. 




1867. 
1868. 




n 
<< 


1869. 




1869. 




<( 


1870. 




1870. 




<l 


I87I. 


John G. Warren. 


1871. 




(( 


1872. 


Charles W. Hardy. 


1872. 




(( 


1873- 


Rufus Cass. 


1873. 


Char 


es G. Morse 


1874. 


11 


1874. 


John 


B. Dodge. 


1875. 
1876. 


(( 


1875. 
1876. 






1877. 


Robert Crowther. 


1877. 






1878. 
1879. 


(1 
John H. Rolfe. 


1878. 
1879. 






1879 

to 


Mohn H. Rolfe. 


1879 ) 
to V 


John 


B. Dodge. 


1900. 


1900. ) 







FIRES. 

The first serious fire in the village occurred February 4, 1844, 
at the Contoocook mill, which had but just then been put in full 
operation by H. H. & J. S. Brown. The fire broke out at 5 
a. m. and burned the two upper stories; the lower stories being 
damaged by water and smoke. It was a surprising fact that the 
fire was confined to the upper stories, as there was no fire-engine 
or protective apparatus of any kind in the village. The fire 
started before light in the morning, and the weather was so cold 
that water froze on the clothing of the men who handled the water- 
pails. The Messrs. Brown were early at the mill and organized 
an impromptu fire company by forming the men in line from the 
canal along to the ladders and up the ladders to the third story; 
these men passed a continuous line of water-pails which were 
emptied into the third-story windows, and by flooding that floor 



l64 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

prevented the fire from working down to the lower rooms. Soon 
after the alarm was given, Leonard Morrison mounted one of his 
horses and rode to Concord in twenl}^ minutes, giving the alarm 
at West Concord as he passed through that village. At Concord 
the fire company responded promptly to his call for help, and had 
their engine drawn up to the fire in forty minutes, a remarkably 
quick run considering the weather and the distance. The fire 
company worked hard for two hours and extinguished the fire. 
The women and mill girls worked the engine while the men rested. 
There was one clergyman in the village, Rev. Mr. Thomas, who 
worked well on the engine brakes. The origin of the fire was 
never known. The mill was immediately repaired, new machinery 
put in, and was in full operation again in a few months. 

On October 19, 1849, the barn of Benjamin Scales was burned 
to the ground. 

The batting mill, which stood on the ground now covered by 
the warehouse of the Concord Axle Co., was burned December 
9, 1852. That was a two-story wooden building, old and dr_\', con- 
taining very combustible material, so that it burned rapidly. The 
engine companies succeeded in saving the machine-shop building 
which stood but a few yards away. 

A dye-shop, owned by Maj. Richard Gage, on Commercial 
street, was burned August 2, 1845, and was not rebuilt. 

On December 9, 1859, the dwelling-house of Anthony Gahagan 
on Summer street, next east of the Methodist parsonage, was 
destroyed by fire, and no house has since been built on that lot. 

April 26, i860, the large barn of Ira Swett was burned. It 
made a hot fire; nothing could be done to save it, owing to the 
lack of water in that vicinity. 

J. C. Martin & Son built a woodworking shop about 1855, on 
the site of the burned batting mill, and that building was nearly 
destroyed by tire on April 10, 1861. It was immediately rebuilt. 
The dwelling-house of Mrs. Rebecca Foster on Washington street 
was burned about 1863. The stable of Bonney's Hotel was 
burned May 29, 1864, and immediately rebuilt. On August 15, 
1866, there was a fire in the upper story of the Dr. Little block 
on Washington square. Lively work b\' the fn-emcn saved the 
buildinfi. 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 165 

In 1866 there were three incendiary fires in or about the 
Penacook mill, on the following dates: October 29, in a lumber 
shed; November 5, in a wood and oil shed, and on November 12 
in the picker room at the east end of the mill. 

The excitement caused by these fires had hardly died out when 
a more serious fire occurred on December 27. This fire started in 
the attic story of Penacook mill, in the mule room at the east end, 
and spread very rapidly through the entire length of the building. 
The force pumps at each end of the mill did good service, the 
hose being handled by the mill hands and volunteer firemen, who 
took the hose up the stairway at the centre of the mill and sent 
streams in both directions into the attic until forced by the burning 
roof to retire from that position. The fire-engine companies were 
promptly at work and sent streams on to the fire both from the 
inside and outside of the building. 

It w^as evident at an early hour that the local fire department 
was hardly strong enough for handling so large a fire, and a call 
was sent to Concord for help. The Concord department sent up 
the steamer " Gov. Hill" and the company, who arrived and got 
to work after the roof was mostly burned. The Cataract Engine 
No. 6, of West Concord, also came up and did good service 
in drowning out the fire. The great amount of water poured into 
the attic protected the floor, and so prevented the fire from work- 
ing down to the lower rooms, but it did great damage to the yarn 
and cloth in process of manufacture. One man was somewhat 
injured (Robert Crowther) while holding the hose on the outside 
of the roof about midway of the west end, — was struck by a large 
sheet-iron ventilator which fell from the top of the roof above him. 
He was considerably bruised, and obliged to leave the hose and 
descend to the ground. The writer being just then at liberty 
from work in other positions, seeing the need of a man at that 
point, went up the ladder to the roof and held the hose until the 
fire was completely extinguished at that end of the mill. This was 
about the hardest fire to handle that the village fire department 
ever had to deal with, and with less efificient service the whole mill 
would have been destro\'ed. 

May 5, 1867, the storehouse of A. Harris & Sons was burned. 
This buildine was located beside the railroad some little distance 



1 66 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

above the crossing at the flour-mill storehouse, it being so far 
out of the village and so far from water that it was nearly consumed 
before any work could be done to save it. It was not rebuilt at 
that place. May 28, 1867, the railroad bridge next the station 
was burned. October 22, 1867, there was a fire in the old brick 
grist-mill, and in the same month the old sawmill, which stood a 
little above the present Holden woollen mill and was occupied by 
a Mr. Cilley as an excelsior factory, was totally consumed. 

July 8, 1869, Sanders block was burned. This was a w^ooden, 
one-story building on the same ground occupied by the present 
Sanders block. It was replaced by a three-story brick block. 

September 23, 1873, there was a Are started in the Mechanics 
block on Main street. This was a dangerous locality, the block 
being an old wooden building and surrounded by wooden build- 
ings, but the prompt service of the fire department saved the 
building, with but little damage. 

October 18, 1873, the dwelling-house of Hon. John C. Linehan 
was burned, and so nearly destroyed that it was necessary to 
rebuild it entire. Colonel Linehan lost many valuable papers that 
could not be replaced. His library was mostly ruined, but has 
since been replaced and greatly enlarged and is now one of the 
largest in the city. It is particularly full in historical subjects, — a 
line on which Colonel Linehan has devoted much time and study. 

February 13, 1877, the white schoolhouse on Summer street, 
district No. 20, was burned. This was a two-story wooden build- 
ing which had accommodated all the schools of the district since 
1849. This was considered an elegant house when it was built. 
It had a good-sized bell hung in the belfry at the north end, and 
the writer remembers that the competition for the honor of being 
bell-ringer was very sharp for several years after the schools opened 
in that building. Many of our citizens recalled happ)- days spent 
in the white schoolhouse and regretted its destruction. This fire 
broke out at 2 : 15 p. m. and it was an unusual occurrence to have 
a building burn down in the day time. It burned rapid!}' and 
made a great heat. The dwelling-house of Charles Bean adjoin- 
ing the school yard was in danger but was saved by the work of 
the fire companies. 

October 25, 1878, the Goodnough block was nearly burned 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 6/ 

down. This was quite a large two-and-one-half-story wooden 
building, standing near the site of Ed. McShane's present resi- 
dence. The fire broke out at 2 : 30 a. m. and was thought to be 
of incendiary origin. It was not rebuilt, and the ruins were finally 
burned up on the night of July 15, 1880. 

February 26, 1879, the dwelling-house and barn of L. W. 
Couch on Main street next above Bonney's Hotel were burned, 
and were soon rebuilt on the same location. 

March i, 1879, the dwelling-house of David E.Jones on the 
upper end of Main street was partly destro)'ed. This was 
rebuilt and is still occupied by Mr. Jones, a worthy veteran of 
the Seventh regiment, N. H. Vols., who still bears the marks of his 
service for his country in the Civil War. Two of his brothers gave 
their lives that the Union might be preserved. 

August 30, 1879, a barn and ell belonging to Hale Chadwick was 
burned. This fire was at i : 05 p. m., and was extinguished before 
burning the house. 

April 18, 1 88 1, the upper part of the dwelling-house owned 
and occupied by E. P. Everett on Merrimac avenue was burned, 
but the lower story was saved and the house was repaired. 

March 3, 1882, the engine house of Pioneer Engine Co. No. 8 
was totally consumed. This was a two-story wooden building 
standing in the angle of land between Merrimac street and Merri- 
mac avenue. Besides the building the Pioneer hand engine (the 
pride of the whole village), the hose carriage, hose, uniforms, fur- 
niture, pictures, and many valued relics were totally destroyed. 
When the fire alarm was given, at 1 1 : 20 p. m., the whole interior 
of the building was a mass of flame, so that it was impossible to 
get inside to save anything. The building burned ver\' rapidly 
and made a great light that was seen for many miles around. The 
city was at that time building a new brick engine house and ward 
room on Washington street which was nearly completed at the 
date of this fire, and the fire department immediately sent up the 
steamer " Gov. Hill," which was put in the new engine house. 

March 18, 1882, the barn of Capt. John Sawyer on Washing- 
ton street, nearly opposite the new engine house, was burned, and 
this gave the fire compan}- its first opportunity to try the steam 
fire-engine in actual work. 



1 68 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

February 2, 1886, a fire at the dry house of C. M. & A. W. 
Rolfe made a lively time for the firemen on that afternoon. 

April 10, 1886, the dwelling of Geo. E. Flanders was burned, 
the alarm being given at 11:20 p. m. This house was at the 
Borough — a mile or more from the engine house — and being at 
a time that most people were asleep, there was some delay in 
getting the apparatus there, and the house, which was an old one, 
was nearly all consumed. 

June 12, of the same year, at i :30 a. m., there was an explosion 
and fire at the boiler house of H. H. Amsden & Sons. The 
explosion was from ignition of dust in the shaving house. The 
watchman, Mr. Ira Phillips, was severely burned on the face and 
hands. 

April 13, 1887, the blacksmith shop of the Concord Axle Co. 
took fire from one of the forges at 6:15 a. m., and was burning 
fiercely in the roof before much help arrived. The fire apparatus 
belonging to the works was put in operation as soon as the men 
arrived, the fire companies also laid their hose promptly, and 
the fire was extinguished with a loss of about $4,500. 

December 27, 1887, a serious fire occurred at the table factory 
of J. E. Symonds & Co., on East Canal, near Main street. The 
alarm was given at i 145 a. m., and the fire department was 
promptly on hand. Lines of hose were laid from the Penacook 
mill and from the cabinet shop; both rendered ef^cient aid in con- 
trolling the conflagration. The building was of stone, three 
stories and attic, and filled with dry stock of hard woods, which 
made an intense heat. The floors of the building were well 
soaked with oil, the shop having been used at one time as a 
woollen mill, also as a machine shop, and so the floors were excel- 
lent fuel, as well as the roof, which was of wood. It was evident 
as soon as the firemen arrived that nothing could be saved from 
inside the table shop, for the whole interior was soon like a fur- 
nace. The white shop standing over the canal (now Chadwick's 
block) was connected with the table shop by a covered bridge at 
the second story, which formed a good conductor to carry the 
flames across to the white shop, and the firemen had much work 
to prevent that building from burning. It, however, escaped with 
slight damage. It also required a large amount of water on the 



ENGINE COMPANIES, FIRES, ETC. 1 69 

Knowlton block to prevent that from burning. The firemen had 
a hard night's work, and were successful in saving the surround- 
ing buildings. Loss by this fire was $13,800. 

December 15, 1888, at 4:45 a. m., a fire broke out at the resi- 
dence of Abial W. Rolfe, and burned the roof off before the fire 
could be extinguished. This was the old Rolfe famih' mansion 
that had been occupied by three generations, and a large quantit}' 
of papers and books were stored in the attic ; many of these 
were destroyed, and could not be replaced. 

December 31, 1891, at 7:20 a. m., a fire was discovered in 
Sanders' three-story brick block, on same location as the present 
block, adjoining the Washington house on the north. The third 
story was occupied by \V. I. Brown Post 31, G. A. R., which 
organization saved a small part of their property, but lost books 
and records which could not be replaced. The second story 
contained a large hall and the printing ofifice of G. A. No3'es & 
Co., who lost heavily by the fire. The three stores on the lower 
floor were occupied by C. H. Sanders, Geo. N. Dutton, and Fred 
B. Holt, all of whom lost their stocks of goods by fire and water, 
the total loss being about $12,800. The weather was very cold 
and made it difficult work to handle the hose, especiall}' on the 
ladders which were soon covered with ice. It was a big fire and 
being so near the hotel and stable gave the fire department lively 
work to prevent the flames from spreading to the surrounding 
buildings. When the fire was extinguished the brick walls mostly 
remained standing but were ruined for further use and had to be 
taken down before building the present block. An engine was 
sent up from Concord to assist the local fire department. 

On February 17, 1892, occurred the only fire with loss of life in 
the history of the village. This fire was in a tenement house on 
Summer street, occupied by Miss Mary Bean. She was in one 
of the upper rooms when her oil stove exploded, setting her cloth- 
ing and the house on fire. She was taken out alive but survived 
only a few hours. The fire was extinguished with but little dam- 
age to the house. 

April 16, 1892, a fire broke out at 4:40 p. m.. in the old 
Fifield house on High street, and burned the upper part, causing 
a loss of about $2,600. 



I/O HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

September 26, 1892, the dwelling-house and barn of B. Frank 
Varney was burned. This was located at the Borough — away 
from the city hydrants — and the firemen found some difificulty in 
getting water on to the fire. 

February 9, 1897, the storehouse" of C. M. & A. W. Rolfe, 
located beside the tracks of the Boston & Maine Railroad, was 
burned, and a large quantity of doors stored therein were 
destroyed, the loss being about $3,000. 

June 12, 1897, a fire in the tenement house of J. W. Bean on 
Center street caused a loss of nearly ^1,700. 



CHAPTER V. 

MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 

Among the earliest musical organizations of the village one of the 
best was the choir of the First Baptist church, during the lirstyearsof 
that society, and it is doubtful if there has ever since been a choir 
of better singers in this village. The sopranos were Nancy Hos- 
mer, Mrs. Ardel Hosmer, Hannah Brown, Mary Dickerman, and 
others; the altos were Frances Hosmer (now Mrs. Drew) and 
her sister, Mrs. Dr. Emery, and one or two others; tenors, Jacob 
Hosmer, Wm. H. Hosmer, and William and Eben Allen; bases, 
Dea. H. H. Brown, Edmund Brown, Dr. H. D. White, and several 
others not now recalled. The instrumental parts were rendered 
by David A. Brown and Jeremiah Burpee, violins; Samuel F. 
Brown, violinccUo ; John S. Brown, double bass, and Otis Stanley, 
flute. 

Nancy and I'rances Hosmer both had very sweet and powerful 
voices, and were well-trained singers. Mrs. Ardel Hosmer was a 
professional concert singer, and one of the very best that ever 
lived in the state; she sang with the choir when at home, but 
Nancy was the regular first soprano. Jacob Hosmer was also a 
professional concert singer with his wife, Ardel, but had seasons at 
home when he sang with this choir. Dr. Wm. H. Hosmer sang 
much of the time with this choir for ten years or more; he had 
an excellent tenor voice and knew how to use it. The Aliens, 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 171 

William and Eben, both had strong, high tenor voices and were 
standby singers that could be depended on. The basses, Henry 
and Edmund Brown, were both good singers and always in their 
places in the choir. Modern church music is much changed from 
the style used in 1840 to 1850, and is much better arranged to 
show the proficiency of the singers, but it can not produce voices, 
and the voices of that old Baptist choir have never been surpassed 
in our modern choirs. 

FISHERVILLE BRASS BAND. 

The Fishcrvillc Brass Band was organized in 1845, ^^id began 
practice in the old Union Hall, with Prof. A. L. Drew teacher, 
and a membership of about fifteen men, but two of whom are living, 
in 1 90 1. One of these is Geo. Frank Sanborn, who played a key 
bugle, the other is Charles Abbott, who played a snare drum, and 
who has continued playing the same drum to the present day. 
He was a drummer before playing for this band. He purchased 
the drum in 1840, and it is as good as ever after sixty }'ears of 
service, — and the veteran Abbott can still handle the sticks with 
much of his old-time skill. This is a record that would be hard 
to match anywhere. 

Professor Drew, the teacher, was a fine performer on the key bugle, 
as well as an excellent drill master, and brought this band up to 
first-class proficiency in short order. This band was playing so 
well in 1847 that they were employed Sept. 9, of that year, by the 
Concord Light Infantry Company, which acted as escort to the 
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston, which 
organization, with the celebrated Flagg's band, came to Concord on 
that day to celebrate their two hundred and clc\-enth anniversary. 
On this occasion an incident occurred that was not soon forgotten 
by one member of the band. On the parade down Main street, 
Jeremiah Burpee was playing slide trombone on the left of the 
front section, the band was playing for all they were worth as they 
came down opposite the foot of Pleasant street, but as soon as 
Burpee had passed that street he noticed that the band was play- 
ing much weaker, so he played the louder hoping to encourage 
the boys, but in spite of his loudest blasts on the trombone the 
band grew rapidly fainter, he finally stopped for a moment and 



1/2 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

looked around to see what the trouble was, and to his infinite dis- 
gust found himself alone, and the rest of the band just disappear- 
ing up Pleasant street. He had been so intent on his music that 
he had not noticed the turning up Pleasant street by the men at 
his right. In after years Burpee loved to relate this incident, and 
always laughed louder over it than any of his hearers. This band 
did a considerable amount of business for a few years playing for 
entertainments in the village, and in the neighboring towns. On 
July 4, 1848, this band played for a celebration at Warner, N. H., 
on which occasion the Hon. Walter Harriman delivered the ora- 
tion. The band also played at a celebration at Warner on the 
opening of the Concord & Claremont Railroad. At another date 
the band played for a celebration at Corser Hill in the town of 
Webster. The names of the members were as follows : Asa L. 
Drew, teacher; J. B. Hutchinson, president; Andrew J. Elliott, 
clerk; Gideon A. Peaslee, treasurer; David A. Brown, Samuel F. 
Brown, Jonathan Edmund Brown, Charles D. Rowell, Jeremiah Bur- 
pee, Geo. Frank Sanborn, Charles Abbott, J. S. Haselton, y\bner 
B. Winn, C. W. Potter, John H. Willard. This organization was 
continued until September, 1850. 

SINGING SCHOOLS. 

Singing schools flourished during the winter months from 1840 
up to about i860. Prof. Asa L. Drew of Boscawen (later of 
Concord) was one of the first teachers. He was a strict master 
and thorough teacher, but not very popular with the scholars. 
Jacob Hosmer also kept singing school in the early years of the 
village. He was an excellent singer, but not so rigid a teacher as 
Mr. Drew. Prof. John Jackman of Boscawen also kept singing 
schools several winters. He was a man of genial, happy disposi- 
tion, and had a thorough musical education under the best 
teachers at Boston and New York. His son, Joseph H. Jackman, 
inherits much of his father's musical ability. 

John H. Willard, a painter by occupation, and a fine tenor 
singer, kept several terms of singing school about 1850. 

Prof. George Woods of Concord kept singing schools in the 
village for a good many years, and was an excellent teacher. His 
schools were mostly kept in the old "Chapel" of the Congrega- 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 1 73 

tional society. The teacher who orf^anized the largest and most 
successful singing schools was Professor Cram of Epsom, N. H. 
His schools were kept in the Congregational church for two or three 
winters, with over one hundred singers in his classes. He closed 
up his schools in the spring with grand concerts. One year he 
had a musical convention for three days, with a quartette of solo- 
ists from Boston, and made a brilliant success, both musicalU' and 
financially. 

In I 869 Professor Jackman organized a class of singers to assist in 
the grand "Peace Jubilee," organized by P. S. Gilmore, at Boston, 
in June. He had classes at Boscawcn, Penacook, and Concord, 
and those who went with him and took part in those wonderful 
concerts, will never forget that experience. 

Other singing schools have been kept in the village by Prof. 

Ben. Davis and Jonathan C. Lane of Concord, Mason W. Tucker, 

and others. 

MASONIC. 

The village has thus far sustained but one Masonic organization, 
Horace Chase Lodge No. 72, F. & A. Masons, but that one has 
been quite successful from the date of its organization up to the 
present time ; many of the clergymen, lawyers, physicians, and 
leading men in all departments have been enrolled as members. 

This lodge was named for Hon. Horace Chase of Hopkinton, a 
former grand master of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, and 
the number of the lodge (No. 72) was the number of years of 
Horace Chase's life at the date of organization of the lodge. 

The date of the charter was June 12, 1861, and the lodge was 
instituted by Most Worshipful Grand Master Aaron P. Hughes on 
June 21 of that year. The charter members were Albert H. 
Drown, David A. Brown, Samuel C. Pickard, John Whitaker, E. 
Frank Batchcldcr, Jacob B. Rand, Rev. Joseph C. Emerson, and 
Dr. Henry D. White, all prominent citizens of the village. One 
only of the charter members still resides in the village, Hon. John 
Whitaker, who still holds an important position in the lodge work, 
which position has never been intrusted to other or less vigorous 
hands. The first lodge room was in the upper hall of the Graphic 
block, and remained there until 1871, when the new rooms in 
Exchange block were completed, to which the lodge removed and 



174 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

has remained there to the present date. The masters of the lodge 
have been Albert H. Drown, Rev. J. H. Gilmore, Rufus D. Scales, 
George N. Herbert, Samuel N. Brown, Rufus Cass, Levi N. 
Barnes, John B. Dodge, John H. Moore, Nathaniel S. Gale, Henry 
F. Brown, John Harris, Augustus H. Davis, William W. Allen, 
Willis G. Buxton, Edmund H. Brown, Anson C. Alexander, Edson 
H. Mattice, Charles H. Sanders, and Almon G. Harris. 

The secretaries have been Samuel F. Brown for the first }'ear, 
D. Arthur Brown for the next six j-ears, Lorenzo M. Currier for 
six years, John Chadwick for two )ears, Lucius M. Hardy for 
two years, James H. French for fifteen )-ears, and John B. Dodge 
for the last six years. 

This lodge has worked very harmoniously during the thirt}- 
eight years of its life and maintained a high proficiency in the w'ork 
of the order, while its benevolent and fraternal interests have made 
it helpful to all its members. 

Quite a large number of the members of this lodge ha\-e taken 
the higher degrees in Masonry at Concord, there being now some- 
thing over twenty sir knights of Mt. Horeb Commandery resid- 
ing in the village, who maintain an organization and meet at 
Masonic hall annually on Christmas day to participate in the regu- 
lar exercises pertaining to that anniversary. 

CONTOOCOOK LODGE NO. 26, I. O. O. F. 

The Odd Fellows were the first of all the fraternal societies 
organized in the village, and are to-day the largest of all the 
societies. 

On November 13, 1848, a lodge of Odd Fellows to be known 
"asCZontoocook Lodge No. 26, was instituted by Grand Master John 
C. Lyford, with the following-named charter members: J. F, 
Withcrell, Oliver N. French, T. F. Bassett, G. B. Davis, J. P. 
Hutchinson. There were fifteen members initiated on the first 
night, and T. F. Bassett was elected noble grand, with J. P. Hutch- 
inson for secretary. 

Of the charter members, J. F. Withcrell was a printer, and kept 
a candy and variety store on Summer street, just the right distance 
from the schoolhouse so that the scholars could run over to the 
store at " recess time." He was a well-educated man and had 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 1 75 

been a Universalist clergyman at Warner before locating in this 
village. He published the first directory of the village in 1849, 
copies of which are still seen about the village. He died within 
the last year. His last residence was in Maine. 

Oliver N. French was a tailor who carried on that business for 
many years here and is now a resident of Concord, and has for 
many years been the senior member of this lodge. 

T. F. Bassett was a merchant tailor having a store in Mechanic 
block, but resided here only a few }'cars. 

George B. Davis was also a tailor, and had a shop near the north 
end of the bridge on Main street. He removed to San Francisco, 
Cal., and continued in the clothing business there for man\' }'ears. 

J. P. Hutchinson was employed in the mills here a few years, 
and subsequently resided in Lake Village. 

Among the members first initiated in this lodge were Samuel 
M. Wheeler, Esq., Isaac K. Connor, George Frank Sanborn, John 
C. Pillsbury, A. G. Howe, and John G. Warren. 

In 1852 this lodge surrendered its charter and was dissolved ; 
but in 1868, twenty years after the first organization, the lodge 
was reorganized by True Osgood, grand master; the following 
being the petitioners for the return of the charter: Alpheus G. 
Howe, Oliver N. French, John D. Fife, Albert H. Drown, and 
John G. Warren. 

The original lodge room was in the upper hall in Graphic block, 
and the reorganized lodge held their meetings in that room until 
January 12, 1871, when their new lodge rooms in the new 
Exchange block were dedicated. The presiding officers have 
been : 

T. F. Bassett, Joshua S. Bean, D. Warren Fox, Benj. Gross, 

i\I. A. Downing, David E. Jones, Henry T. Foote, John H. Rolfe, 

S. .M. Wheeler, Chas. G. Morse, J. Edw. Marden, E. Frank Bean, 

S. D. Hubbard, Job S. Davis, Geo. W. Corey, John G. Ward, 

A. G. Howe, John B. Dodge, John H. Moore, H. E. Chamberlin, 

I. K. Connor, Jolin C. ^Morrison, Lowell B. Elliott, Enoch E. Rolfe, 

Geo. F. Sanborn, E. E. Graves, G. Frank Blake, James M. .Morse, 

J. C. Pillsbury, Abial Rolfe, H. P. Austin, Geo. H. Sager, 

Albert H. Drown, Eli Hanson, Robt. Crowther, Geo. E. Hufiman, 

John D. Fife, Geo. A. Morse, A. H. Urann, Chas. C. Bean, 

John A. Coburn, Loren H. Chase, Moses H. Bean, Stewart I. Brown, 



176 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

A. C. Alexander, Willis G. Ikixton, David F. Dudley, John G. Warren, 

Henry G. Ames, Henry Rolfe, John Knovvlton, Joseph G. Eastman, 

Wni. H. Crowther, Alfred Sanborn, Fred C. Ferrin, Chas. P. Shepard, 

Edw. R. Currier, Chas. J. Ellsworth, John S. Boutwell, W. B. Cunningham, 

Lyman B. Foster, Edw. B. I'rescott, Levi R. Hinds, Walter H. Rolfe, 

Robert L. Harris, Robert D. Morse, C. D. Ingraham, Wm. C. Ackerman. 

Fred H. Blanchard, Henry H. Roberts, Arthur C. Sanboin, 

During the first )'ears of this organization the secretaries were 
changed frequently, but since 1882 the secretary's office has been 
filled by John B. Dodge only ; he also served at different dates 
before that time and has in all performed those duties for twenty- 
one years. The lodge honors itself in retaining so reliable and 
efficient a secretary in office. No other man who has ever lived 
in the village has done as much work as secretary for different 
organizations as has been done by Mr. Dodge. It is hardly 
necessary to say that Mr. Dodge is eminently qualified for such 
positions and executes the work in a most satisfactory manner. 

Contoocook lodge has done in all these years and is now doing 
a beneficent work for the citizens of the village. 

THE REBEKAHS. 

Hannah Dustin Rebekah Lodge No. 49, an organization affiliated 
with Contoocook Lodge of Odd Fellows, was organized May 12, 
1892, with fifteen charter members, as follows: 

Edwin R. Currier, Maria M. Currier, H. E. Chamberlin, John B. Dodge, 

Benj. F. Morse, Emma A. Morse, James M. Morse, John H. Rolfe, 

Henry Rolfe, Nellie G. Rolfe, Enoch E. Rolfe, Chas. P. Shepard. 

Arthur G. VMnica, Carrie A. Vinica, Frances S. Webster, 

The objects of this societ}' are as follows: 

1 . To aid in the establishment and maintenance of homes for 
aged and indigent Odd Fellows and their wives, or for widows of 
deceased Odd Fellows; and homes for the care, education, and 
support of orphans of deceased Odd I'ellows. 

2. To \'isit the sick, relieve their distresses, and in every way to 
assist subordinate and sister Rebekah lodges in kindly ministrations 
to the families of Odd Fellows who are in trouble or want. 

3. To cultivate and extend the social and fraternal relations of 
life among lodges and the families of Odd Fellows. 

Their first board of officers was elected as follows: 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 1 77 

N. G., Henry Rolfe ; V. G., Emma Morse ; secretary, Carrie 
A. Vinica ; treasurer, Maria M. Currier. Tiiis association having 
both male and female members, has since the first year elected 
all female presiding officers, and those who have filled that posi- 
tion are: Emma A. Morse, Maria M, Currier, Mary J. Fox, 
Blanche L. Dudley, Mabel E. Towne, Roxana P. Rolfe, Emma J. 
Carter, Octavia H. Ferrin, and Alice M. Ackerman. 

The secretaries to date have been Mrs. Carrie A. Vinica, Mrs. 
Ella M. Blake, Mrs. Roxana P. Rolfe, Mrs. Minnie Prescott, and 
Miss Winnie A. Hinds. 

This society holds its meetings in Odd Fellows' hall and is in a 
prosperous condition, having one hundred and ten female and 
ninety-one male members now on the roll. 

UNION CLUB. 

In the summer of 1894 a few of the citizens began to talk of 
organizing a club for social purposes, and after several informal 
meetings, organized on October 4, by adopting a constitution and 
by-laws that had been prepared by D. Arthur Brown. 

The original twentj^-five members were : 

John H. Moore, A.C.Alexander, Chas. H. Sanders, D. Arthur Brown, 

Edmund H. Brown, SamL N. Brown, Stewart I. Brown, Wm. W. Allen, 

A. E. Emery, E. E. Graves, H. C. Holbrook, W. G. Buxton, 

D. F. Dudley, J. A. Massie, A. H. Hoyt, T. B. Wattles, 

L. VV. Everett, Chas. H. Amsden, A. W. Rolfe, F. P. Holden, 

Robt. L. Harris, Almon G. Harris, GuyH. Hubbard, F. A. Abbott. 
Geo. W. Abbott, 

The first president was Farwcll P. Holden ; secretary, D. Arthur 
Brown, and treasurer, William W. Allen. The other presidents 
have been A. C. Alexander, Willis G. Buxton, A. E. Emery, and 
D. F. Dudley. 

The original plan was to have a club consisting of male active 
members, and female associate members with one day of the week 
designated as ladies' day, but from some cause the ladies' part of 
the enterprise was not fully carried out. 

Rooms for the use of the club were secured in Mechanics block 
and fitted up under the direction of the secretary. There was a 
billiard table, a pool table, card tables, etc., provided. Also a 
13 



178 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



kitchen was fitted up with a view to preparing refreshments on 
special occasions. In 1898 the rooms were remodeled, a new bil- 
liard table put in, and other improvements made for the convenience 
of the members. This club is still in a flourishing condition, with 
a membership of twenty-five, and bids fair for becoming a perma- 
nent institution. 

Other clubs with male membership have been formed from time 
to time, but no other has continued long. 

THE woman's club OF PENACOOK. 

[CONTRII'.UTEI) J5V ISAllEL N. .MOORP:.] 




Mrs. Martha J. IUxton, 

Prtsidcut of the Wotnaus Club of Pcnacook. 

Our T'uiilan grandmothers spun and \\(nc, brewed and baked, 
and reared sturd\-. God-fearing men and women. They were 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 



179 



shining examples of domesticity. No nobler, but a different type 
of woman, is the woman of to-day. The world still exacts fidelity 
in all domestic and social relations, but it demands more. The 
introduction of machinery, absorbing every species of manufac- 
ture, the coming of the canning establishment, the bake-shop, the 
ready-made garment emporium, has given immunity from severe 
domestic toil ; the open doors of our colleges and universities have 
given thorough intellectual training, and it seems fitting that this 
training should be applied not in the home alone, but in the 
neighborhood, in the state. 




^ft 




Miss M. Annie Fiske, 

First President. 



Mrs. Sarah E. A. Sanders, 

Second President. 



Some one has said that " as a general, standing on the crest of a 
hill, watches the approach of an opposing army, anticipates and 
thwarts its manoeuvers, and intelligently leads his forces to victory, 
so, woman of to-day, from the vantage ground of intelligence and 
well-directed effort, takes a survey of her duties and responsibili- 
ties, and, seeing them clearl}', makes fewer mistakes in fulfilling 
them." 

A desire for better preparation to discharge responsibilities may 
have been one factor leading to the evolution of the " Woman's 
Club." The problem of the solitary student is to keep enthusi- 
asm alive, and, unless a woman has had some mental training, she 
will not find it easy to persist in a systematic course of study. 



i8o 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



The club furnishes a meeting ground for those who are interested 
in similar topics, yet who look at questions discussed from a dif- 
ferent standpoint, thus they are trained to take large and broader 
views of life. The club teaches self-control, composure, deference 
to others, and the realization that the success of one is the success 
of all. It is hardly possible to realize the far-reaching results of 
the great federation meetings, where the women of the cities meet 
their " country cousins " to their mutual benefit. They furnish an 
immense amount of material for conversation and study, and give 
a new impetus to universal culture. 






Miss Myra M. Abbott, 

Second Treasurer. 



Mrs. Grace P. Brown, 

Vice-President. 



Realizing the benefits of these opportunities, and being not a 
whit behind " sister women" in intelligence and intellectual am- 
bition, the question of a club was agitated among the women of 
Penacook, resulting in the organization, on January 3, 1896, of a 
" Current Events Club," with nineteen charter members. It was 
a literary and social organization, and owed its existence to the 
zeal and persistent efforts of its first president. Miss M. Annie 
Fiske, who labored with great energy to secure the requisite num- 
ber of names for its formation. Miss Fiske served as president 
nearly three }'ears, devoting time, thought, and personal effort to 
the success of the club. During these \-cars the work was mostly 
of a literary character, and its topics largely confined to current 
events. 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 



l8l 



The club joined the State Federation February 26, 1896, and 
has since sent delegates to its annual meetings ; it has once been 
honored by a visit from Mrs. Blair, president of the Federation. 

Mrs. Sarah E. A. Sanders, a helpful vice-president, succeeded 
Miss Fiske as president, bringing to the work enthusiasm, culture, 
and executive ability. In its third year the club began to extend 
its influence ; the membership, first limited to fifty, was increased 
to seventy-five, allowing the admission of new members, some of 
whom have proved most helpful in the social life of the club. 





-fV^. 



Miss Alice F. Brown, 

Secretary. 



Mrs. Ida D. Harris, 

Trea?iHrer. 



With increase of membership, more outside talent was available, 
adding to the interest and profit of the meetings. Mrs. Sanders 
served two years and was followed by Mrs. Martha J. Buxton, who 
is just beginning her work ; a keen interest in and large knowl- 
edge of matters relating to club work especially fit her for the 
position. She is assisted b\' Mrs. Grace P. Brown as vice-presi- 
dent, Mrs. Ida Harris as treasurer, and Miss Alice F. Brown, who 
has efKiciently served as secretary for four years. An executive 
committee of three members have arranged our programmes for 
the year, selected sub-committees to have charge of meetings, and 
with the other officers, have decided any questions coming before 
the club. 

From the becrinnincf the members have shown creat interest in 



1 82 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



the work of the club, and a willingness to perform any duties 
devolving upon them. As its name implies, it has tried to keep 
in touch with the current events of the season by considering sub- 
jects that were attracting world-wide attention, not forgetting those 
of minor importance. Two years have been devoted to the study 
of United States history; English literature will engage our atten- 
tion the present winter. The programmes have been varied and 
enlivened by vocal and instrumental music by members of the club 
and invited guests. Club " teas " have been popular. 





Miss Grace Wade Allen, 

Chairman Executive Committee. 



Mlss Maiua Carter, 

Member Executive Committee 



Beside many interesting and carefully prepared papers by mem- 
bers of the club there have been lectures on foreign travel by Mrs. 
Ayers of Concord, Miss McCutcheon of Charlestown, Mass., and 
Miss Lucy Holden of West Concord. INIrs. Lovcring of Boston 
vividly described "Our Pilgrim Forcmothers ; " Miss McCutch- 
eon told of " Nansen, the Modern Viking ; " "The Relation of 
Nature Study to Character " was the subject of a fine paper gi\-en 
by Mrs. Plimpton of Tilton seminary. Miss Whitcomb of Keene 
addressed the club upon the "Educational Interests of New Hamp- 
shire." Two townsmen have entertained the club, — Col. John C. 
Linchan told "The Story of Ireland" in a manner both interest- 
ing and instructive, and Dr. Adrian Hoyt gave a fine lecture 
and exhibition of the X-Ray. "What's in a Name" was the title 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 



183 



of a scholarly address given by Dr. Waterman of Claremont. 
Mrs. Roper of Winchester introduced us to "New Hampshire 
Artists," and Mrs. Streeter of Concord aroused our interest in 
"Our State Charities." 

A "Musicale" has been given each }'ear, and on these evenings 
gentlemen were welcomed. The musical ability of our own mem- 
bers, as well as that of out-of-town musicians, has been appreci- 
ated on these pleasant occasions. "Children's Day" has been 
once observed, the little folks and their mothers enjoying a picnic. 
The event of the year is " Gentle- 
men's Night," when the best gowns 
are donned and most careful prepara- 
tions are made for the entertainment 
and pleasure of the guests ; music 
and refreshments add to the evening's 
pleasure. This club may truthfully 
be called the "Mother of the Village 
Improvement Society." The public 
interests of Penacook were discussed 
at one of its meetings, and soon after, 
the president, Mrs. Sanders, can- 
vassed the village for names, resulting 
in the formation of a flourishing so- 
ciety. It has also procured and 
planted vines at the schoolhouse of 
District No. 20, and given several pictures to adorn the walls of 
the school-rooms. 

An "Art Class" for the stud)- of " Renaissance in Art," under 
the leadership of Miss Mary Niles of Concord, was recently 
formed, thereby making the club a department club, and resulting 
in the change of its name to " The Woman's Club " of Penacook. 

At the time of the Armenian troubles the club sent an offering 
to the Relief Fund, but, as yet, no philanthropic work has been 
attempted. As a social factor the club has proved a success, but 
perhaps its most helpful feature has been the individual \\ork of 
its members, which has brought to light and developed hitherto 
unsuspected talents. 

Doubtless some enter the club as they take up an\- " fad " of 




Mrs. Harriet P. Holden, 

Member of Executive Connnittee. 



1 84 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

the day ; others look upon it as a source of entertainment only, 
but we believe that many club women all over our land value its 
privileges, and are using them as a preparation for service; to 
these we would say, with " Tiny Tim," " God bless us, every one." 

THE UNION SOLDIERS' AID SOCIETY. 

The first meeting of this society was held September i8, 1862, 
in the ladies' room of the Baptist church. The preamble of the 
constitution is as follows : 

"Believing that it is our duty to do all in our power for the 
" comfort of the soldiers, who are periling their lives in defense of 
" our Government, we whose names are here subscribed do 
" unitedly agree to form ourselves into a society, the object of 
" which shall be to procure funds and adopt such other measures 
" as may be necessary to carry out the design. Said society to 
" continue as long as the exigencies of the case may demand." 

Ninety-eight names, of women only, were appended to the arti- 
cles of agreement. There are also recorded the names of seventy- 
one men who contributed something to the funds of the society, 
but were not members. Members of the society were assessed 
twenty-five cents each quarter, or one dollar per year, as provided 
in the articles of agreement. The meetings were weekly, and 
nearly all were held at the ladies' room of the Baptist church. 
The first president of the society was Mrs. H. H. Brown, and the 
first secretary was Miss Harriet Chandler, who served in that 
office continuously as long as the society was in existence, and 
fi'om whose excellent records this article has been prepared. 
Mrs. Brown, also, served as president all of the time except one 
term of three months; she had much executive ability, and was 
always earnest and active in the management of the societ}'. 

Previous to the formation of this society there had been con- 
siderable work done by the ladies of the village, along this line, 
and one or more barrels of supplies had been forwarded to soldiers 
at the front, but no list of the articles so sent is now obtainable. 

This society began work immediately, and soon forwarded the 
first barrel of comforts for the soldiers to Colonel Cross, of the 5 th 
regiment, N. H. Vols., at " Bolivar Heights," in. September, 1862. 
Another barrel was sent to the same regiment in October of the 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 



185 



same year. After this the supplies were sent to the New Hamp- 
shire Soldiers' Aid societ}% at Washington, D. C. A printed circular 
of this society, issued from its rooms at 517 Seventh street, states : 
" It is purely a charitable institution. There is no diversion of its 
" funds from its special object. Its officers and members serve 
"without charge, and what is sent to the society finds its way at 
" once to the sick and wounded, unchecked and undiminished." 
This circular contained a letter signed N. G. Ordway, committee 
for Merrimack count)'. In November and December, 1862, three 
lots of supplies were sent to this society. 





Mrs. H. H. ISkown, 

President . 



Miss Hakruct Chandler, 

Secretary- Treasurer. 



In 1863 four lots of supplies were sent to the " Christian Com- 
mission," at No. 5 Tremont Temple, Boston. A circular of this 
commission states that its aim is the " benefit of both soul and 
body " of the soldiers. Its agents in the field are " Unpaid volun- 
teer delegates, ministers, and laymen, enlisted from all evangelical 
churches," and the plan was to distribute stores by these dele- 
gates. In 1864 the supplies from the Union Soldiers' Aid 
society were again sent to the New Hampshire Soldiers' Aid 
society at Washington. The last year of the war, 1865, two lots 
of supplies were sent to Miss Harriet P. Dame, an army nurse 
from Concord, and b\' her distributed. Receipts for the several 
lots of supplies arc on file in the secrctar}-'s book, as follows: 



I 86 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

September 29. 1862, one box received by Col. E. E. Cross, at camp. 
October 26, 1862, one box received by Col. E. E. Cross, at camp. 
November 17, 1862, one barrel received by James D. Stevens, at Washington. 
November 19, 1862, one box received by S. S. Bean, at Washington. 
December 11, 1862, one box received by S. S. Bean, at Washington. 
January 15, 1863, two barrels received by L. P. Rowland, at Boston. 
September 12, 1863, one barrel received by L. P. Rowland, at Boston. 
November 30, 1863, one barrel received by L. P. Rowland, at Boston. 
June II, 1864, one barrel received by James D. Stevens, at Washington. 
August 17, 1864, one barrel received by James D. Stevens, at Washington. 
January 2, 1865, one barrel received by Harriet P. Dame, at Washington. 
March 12, 1865, one barrel received by Harriet P. Dame, at Washington. 

In all there were forwarded by this society thirteen barrels or 
boxes of supplies, containing the following articles: 71 bedquilts, 
5 pairs sheets, 30 pillows with sacks, 5 pairs pillow-cases, 17 bed 
sacks, 223 shirts, 128 pairs drawers, 215 pairs stockings, 5 coats, 
I vest, I pair pants, 8 dressing-gowns, 59 pairs slippers, 157 hand- 
kerchiefs, yj towels, I pair mittens, 69 housewives, 7 bottles wine 
and cider, 100 pounds dried apples, and a large quantity of lint, 
bandages, books, papers, sermons, almanacs, etc. The freight 
on these amounted to $50. The societ}' also sent $50 to the 
Christian commission; $180 to Miss Harriet P. Dame, and $200 
to Rev. Joseph C. Emerson, chaplain of the 7th regiment, N. H. 
Vols. This last was just before the close of the war, and was not all 
needed. Mr. Emerson returned $100 to the societ}' June 4, 1865. 
The records of the society show that they purchased materials, 
mostly woolen and cotton cloth and yarn, which cost $615.50. 
These materials were made up into supplies for the soldiers by 
the women of this society. This shows clearly the spirit of the 
women of '61 in this village. 

Much of the same work was done by local societies all over the 
state and throughout the whole North. The value of the supplies 
sent out, together with the cash contributions, amounted to about 
$2,200. 

The funds of the society were obtained from membership dues, 
from general contributions by citizens of the village, anil from the 
proceeds of a grand fair held at the Baptist church, January i, 
1864. Dea. H. H. Brown and his wife were at the head of the 
committee of management, and were, with the other members, 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 1 87 

eminently successful in conducting the largest affair of the kind 
ever held in the village. The receipts were $1,065.64; expenses, 
$129.19; leaving the net proceeds $936.45. 

This society was dissolved at the close of the war in 1865, 
leaving a record which is a credit to all of its members and an 
honor to the village. 

O. U. A. M. 

Union Council, No. 5, Order of United American Mechanics, 
was instituted at Penacook on December i, 1883, at the Pantheon 
hall, on the Boscawen side of the river, with thirt}'-four charter 
members, as follows : 

Hiram Holbrook, John E. Hatch, Albert E. Hatch, Herbert Wilson, 

Nat Watterson, E. R. Ladieu, Joshua W. Jones, Geo. Ladieu, 

Luther B. Elliott, Alonzo B. Elliott, Geo. W. Blake, Samuel A. Minard, 

Ruel G. Morrill, David C. Sebra, Wm. R. Green, Phil. C. Eastman, 

Hiram C. Norris, Wm. H. Supry, Charles G. Davis, Lester W. Prescott, 

Isaac Baty, Abram Ladieu, B. F. Varney, Sid. A. Ketchum, 

B. Frank Morse, Henry G. Hardy, John H. Royce, Thos. C. French. 

K. X. Codman, Wm. H. Moody, Fred N. Marden, 

Henry O. Moore, Geo. W. Vinica, C. M. Flanders, 

The objects of this order are as follows : 

" 1st. To assist each other in obtaining employment. 

" 2d. To encourage each other in business. 

" 3d. To establish a sick and funeral fund. 

" 4th. To assist the widows and orphans of deceased members. 

" 5th. To aid members who may become incapable from fol- 
" lowing their usual vocations in obtaining situations suitable to 
" their afflictions." 

From this it would appear that the order was something like 
the mutual insiu'ance companies, but with some of the more ques- 
tionable features of the mutual companies left out. The mem- 
bers of the local councils pay regular dues to constitute a fund, 
from which the weekly sick benefits and funeral benefits of lim- 
ited amounts are paid. There is also connected with the national 
organization of this order a funeral benefit department, which 
pays funeral benefits of larger amounts, and to this department 
the members of the local councils are admitted on pa\'mcnt of 
the stipulated fees. 



i88 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



This local council continued its meetings at Pantheon hall for 
some fifteen years, and then secured more desirable quarters in 
the Chadwick block, over the canal, where they had the two 
upper stories fitted up conveniently for their own use. 

The presiding officers, councilors, to the present date, have 
been : 

Isaac Baty, W. H. Putnam, C. D. Ingraham, Chas. G. Davis, 

E. B. Runnels, Wm. H. Moody, F. P. Robertson, Asher Ormsbee, 

Chas. E. Blake, Geo. R. Bean, Geo. W. Blake, Chas. Smith, 

Thos. C. French, G. H. Berry, S. A. Ketchum, Geo. E. Sargent, 

Geo. C. Norris, J. E. Hatch, Wm. M. Gates, George Matot. 

H. J. Morrill, J. I. Hastings, Geo. B. Elliott, 

B. F. Varney, L. H. Crowther, Wm. A. Bean, 

H. O. Moore, Asa Emery, A. L. Churchill, 

The recording secretaries as well as the councilors are chosen 
semi-annually, but some have held the office for two or more 
terms. The secretaries to date have been : Joshua \V. Jones, 

A. W. Elliott, Charles Smith, C. M. Quimby, George C. Norris, 
H, O. Moore, C. M. Flanders, Charles G. Davis, R. C. Corser, 

B. A. Nichols, William A. Bean, L. H. Crowther, and Frank P. 
Robertson. 

This council holds regular meetings every Tuesday evening, 
and the present number of members in good standing is twent}'- 
four. 

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. 

The first organization of this order in the village was called 
Myrtle lodge, No. 14, K. of P., and was instituted on June 11, 
1872, by Grand Chancellor Matthew T. Betton of Portsmouth, in 
Sanders hall, which was their place of meeting the first }^car ; 
afterwards in Graphic block. 

Of this lodge there were fifteen charter members, whose names 
were : 



Stewart I. Brown, 
John C. Farrand, 
Norman D. Corser, 
H. R. Putnam, 
John F. Abbott, 



Henry T. Foote, 
Isaac Cronk, 
Alvin H. Uran, 
William Musgrove, 
Valentine Lawson, 



D. Warren Fo.\. 
William Farrand, 
Charles N. Robertson. 
Thomas Ridings, 
Robert Crowther. 



The first board of ofificers was elected as follows: 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 



189 



Norman D. Corser, C. C. 
Robert Crowther, V. C. 
D. Warren Fox, P. 
Henry T. Foote, K. of R. S. 
Thomas Ridings, M. of F. 



Stewart I. Brown, M. of E. 
John C. Farrand, M. at A. 
William Baniett, I. G. 
William Farrand, O. G. 



This lodge continued for about eight and one half \'eai-s, and 
then surrendered its charter, December 20, 1880. 

After an interval of something over fifteen years this lodge was 
reinstated on April 30, 1896, as Myrtle lodge, No. 60, with 
twenty-three charter members, as follows : 

I. M. Frost, 
O. J. Fifield, 

F. P. Holden, 
A. H. Hoyt, M. D., 
George B. Elliott, 

G. E. Farrand, 
A. C. Alexander. 

new organization was 



Stewart I. Brown, 
Edw. R. Currier, 
A. E. Sweat, 
Wm. Farrand, 
P. R. Cutler, 
Charles N. Bean, 
Ezra B. Runnels, 
Frank J. Morse, 

The first board of officers under the 
elected and installed as follows : 



F. M. Garland, 
F"rank E. Senieff, 
Edw. B. Morse, 
H. H. Randall, 
Benj. F. Morse, 
Wm. H. Garland, 
U. A. Ketcluim, 
W. H. Meserve, 



Stewart I. Brown, C. C. 
Edw. B. Morse, M. of W. 
O. J. Fifield, M. of E. 
G. E. Farrand, O. G. 
Charles N. Bean, V. C. 



W. H. Meserve, K. of R. c\: S. 
W. H. Garland, M. of A. 
Henry H. Randall, P. 
Frank J. Morse, M. of F. 
E. B. Runnels, I. G. 



This lodge has continued in a prosperous condition up to the 
present date, having at present thirty-eight members. The lodge 
holds its meetings weekly at the O. U. A. M. hall. 

The names of past chancelors of the lodge are as follows: 
Stewart I. Brown, Charles N. Bean, Edw. B. Morse, Wm. H. 
Meserve, Arthur E. Sweat, Wm. H. Garland, Fred F. Carr, John 
W. McNiel, and Charles G. Davis. 

This order has sick and funeral benefits, and in general princi- 
ples is somewhat like the Odd I^^ellows' organization. 

FISHERVILLE LYCEUM ASSOCIATION. 

The Fisherville L}xeum Association was organized about 1868 
for the purpose of securing a course of lectures during the winter 
seasons, lectures being at that date the most popular form of 



I90 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

entertainment, not only in the cities, but in man\' of the towns and 
villages of our state, and elsewhere throughout the country. 

The business was largely in the hands of lecture bureaus in 
Boston and New York, and was so well arranged that even the 
villages like Penacook were enabled to secure some of the very 
best talent of the lecture platform. The following is a partial list 
of the lecturers who were heard in Penacook during the existence 
of this lyceum association: Mark Twain, A. A. Willetts, Mrs. Liv- 
ermore (three or four times), Wendell Phillips, Frederick Douglas, 
Rev. J. O. Peck (twice or more), Hon. William Parsons (three or 
four times). Rev. J. D. Fulton, Hon. P. A. Collins, Hon. J. E. 
Fitzgerald, Fred Grant, Prof. Patterson, John B. Gough, Rev. W. 
H. H. Murray (two or three times), Charles Rollin Brainard, 
Matthew Hale Smith, Rev. George C. Lorimer. The famous 
Mendelssohn Quartette of Boston was also heard in one of the lec- 
ture courses. 

This association was conducted most of the time under the pres- 
idency of Hon. John C. Linehan. 

TEMPERANCE AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 

As long ago as 1848 there was an association in the village 
called Mechanics' Division, No. 10, Sons of Temperance, having 
seventy members, meeting weekly at Sons of Temperance hall in 
the Pantheon block. This association had provision for sick bene- 
fits for its members, and continued in existence several years. 

The Daughters of Temperance also had an association at the 
same time, with fifty-two members, and working on the same gen- 
eral lines as the Sons. These societies were disbanded after some 
years of good work, and in later years similar societies have been 
formed at two or three periods, but have not proved to be perma- 
nent organizations. 

There are at this date (1901) other societies in active opera- 
tion in the village as follows: The St. John's society, connected 
with the Catholic congregation ; the " Foresters," and the Canado- 
Americaine societies; Court Lafayette, No. 19 (men), and Court 
Villa Bonsecour, No. 13 (women), all of which are organized for 
mutual benefit of the members, and arc evident])- in a prosperous 
condition. 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 191 

THE PHILOLOGIAN SOCIETY. 

The Philologian Society was organized about 1854 or 1855, 
having both male and female members, and held their meetings 
in the upper hall of the Graphic block. The name would seem 
to indicate that the object of the society was the study of language. 
How much the}' studied is not recorded, but it is certain that some- 
thing was done in literary work, as the society had a small library. 
Several volumes of the history of England are now in the librar}' of 
George W. Abbott, which were a part of the Philologian societ}' 
library. The records of the society are not now available, but 
some of the members were Edmund Worth and his sister Hattie, 
David D. Smith and his brother Albert, John K. Flanders, Hiram 
and Abner Durgin, the Morrill sisters, Ada and Mary, and Franc 
Caldwell. George W. Abbott recalls that he took part in a play 
there in the winter of 1855-56, called Fitz James and Roderick 
Dhu, in which he and David Smith fought a duel. The writer 
remembers attending one of their entertainments, consisting of 
recitations, dialogues, and short plays ; they had a stage built 
across the north end of the hall, with curtains, costumes, etc., and 
gave an enjoyable performance. 

THE GR.\NGE. 

Dustin Island Grange, No. 252, was organized March 12, 1897, 
and was originated mainly by the efforts of B. Frank Varney, 
who spent considerable time in securing subscribers for the enter- 
prise. As the result of his labors there were sixty-one charter 
members, and the membership was immediately increased to one 
hundred. 

The object of the organization is " the promotion of agricultural 
and other kindred pursuits by inducing coSperation among farm- 
ers and those alike interested for their mutual benefit and im- 
provement." 

The presiding of^cers of this society have been as follows: 
B. Frank Varney in 1897, Almon G. Harris in 1898 and 1899, 
B. Frank Varney in 1900, and Walter E. Gushee in 1901. 

The secretaries have been Dr. A. L. Parker in 1897, John C. 
Farrand served three months, then Mrs. Abbie E. Noyes took the 
position and still continues in that office. 



192 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

The present membership (February, 1901) is fift\'-t\vo males 
and fifty-eight females. 

W. I. BROWN POST, 31, G. A. R. 

Wm. I. Brown Post, 31, of the Department of New Hampshire, 
Grand Army of the Repubhc, was instituted on the 12th of INIay, 
1875, by Department Commander Alvin S. Eaton, of Nashua, 
assisted by Assistant Quartermaster-General J. A. Skinner, Post 
Commander Timothy B. Crowley, and Past Commander Alvin 
Tinkham, of Nashua, and Past Department Commander Timothy 
\V. Challis, of Manchester. 

The Post was named in honor of Major William Ide Brown, late 
of the 1 8th Regiment, N. H. Volunteers, who was killed at Fort 
Steadman, Va., March 29, 1865, being the last officer from New 
Hampshire killed in action in the war for the preservation of the 
Union. There are thirteen names on the charter of this Post as 
follows : Hiram H. Holbrook, Robert Crowther, George W.Corey, 
Freeman Deschamps, Charles Riley, William Barnett, James Riley, 
Joseph E. Sanders, John C. Linehan, James F. Chase, David E. 
Jones, D. Arthur Brown, John G. Lovejoy. 

Of these thirteen charter members, two onh' — Charles Riley and 
Joseph E. Sanders — have since died, and of the eleven remaining, 
six are still residing in Penacook. 

Twenty-five members were mustered in at the first meeting, 
May 12, 1875, and the first board of ofificers chosen as follows: 

Commander — John C. Linehan. O. D. — Norman D. Corser. 

Senior Vice-Commander — Geo. W Corey. O. G. — Joseph E. Sanders. 

Junior Vice-Commander — D. Arthur Brown. Surgeon — Dr. C. C. Topliff. 

Q. M. — Robert Crowther. Adjutant — Samuel N. Ihown. 

Colonel Linehan served as commander for the first three years, 
and was followed in command by Geo. W. Corey who served the 
second three years, and in later years served two years more. 
Samuel N. Brown, the first adjutant, served six }'ears continuously, 
and at later dates has served six years more. Robert Crowther, 
elected quartermaster on the original board, resigned one week 
later. Samuel F. Brown was then chosen for that place but served 
only a part of the year. On his resignation, Dr. James H. French 
was chosen qtiartermaster, and held that oflice continuotish' until 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 1 93 

the year of his death, nearly nineteen years. He was succeeded 
by D. Arthur Brown who has held that position for the last eight 
years. Dr. French also served as chief marshal on Memorial 
Day for at least fifteen years ; since his death that position has 
been filled for seven years by William H. Ra}'mond. As presi- 
dent of the day for ]\Iemorial exercises, Colonel Linchan has 
served for some fifteen years or more, from which it appears that 
the original members have been working members throughout the 
life of this organization. 

Previous to the organization of this Post, the graves of soldiers 
had been decorated for a few years by the Fisherville Memorial 
Association, which was maintained largely by the efforts of Col. 
John C. Linchan, and the members of Brown's band and their 
wives. 

The first memorial service conducted by this Post, in 1875, 
was observed by the citizens generally throughout the village and 
the neighboring towns; business was suspended in the village dur- 
ing the afternoon, and a large concourse of people accompanied 
the Post to the Woodlawn cemetery. The procession was formed 
in Washington square in the following order: Chief marshal. Dr. 
J.H.French; assistant marshal, T. O.Wilson; Brown's band, 

D. Arthur Brown, leader; officer of the day, N. D. Corser ; Wm. 
I. Brown, Post 31, in uniform, Geo. W. Corey commanding; car- 
riages with disabled comrades, speakers, and fiowers ; Knights of 
Pythias, Robert Crowther commanding; St. John's Total Absti- 
nence Society, James Kelley, president; Mechanicks band, Frank 

E. Bean, leader; Torrent Engine Co., Henry C. Briggs, foreman, 
thirty men ; Pioneer Engine Co., Rufus Cass, foreman, forty men, 
James Riley, commanding; citizens in carriages and on foot. 

The exercises at the cemetery were opened with a selection, 
" Chapel," by Brown's band, followed by pra}-er by Rev. L. E. 
Gordon, after which the graves of twenty-six soldiers were deco- 
rated by the comrades of the Grand Army, a small flag and a 
bouquet of flowers being placed on each grave. 

Rev. M. D. Bisbee then delivered the oration. At the conclu- 
sion of the address a salute was fired, and the procession was then 
re-formed, marched back to Washington square and closed the 
public exercises with a dress parade. This was a most successful 
14 



194 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

beginning of the annual decoration exercises, which have been 
continued without a break for twenty-five years. At this first 
Memorial Day the graves of soldiers or sailors who served in the 
Civil War only were decorated, but in 1880, and since that date, 
the graves of Revolutionary and 18 12 War veterans have also 
been decorated by this Post. 

The number of graves has been increasing as the years have 
passed, until the last year, when the w^hole number decorated 
by W. I. Brown Post 31, or by details from the Post, was 195 — 
located in ten cemeteries as follows : In Woodlawn cemetery, Pen- 
acook, 79; Canterbury, 23; East Canterbury, 8; Horse Hill, 27; 
River View cemetery, Boscawen, 17; Central, Boscawen, 18; 
Beaver Dam, Boscawen, 10; Water Street, Boscawen, 5 ; Webster, 
7; Hardy's, i. Of late, the Post has been assisted in decorating 
graves by the J. S. Durgin Camp, Sons of Veterans, and also by 
comrades from Post 44 at West Concord. 

Since the organization of the Relief Corps, the making of 
wreaths and bouquets for decoration of the graves, has been in the 
hands of that Corps. 

The W. I. Brown Post prospered, and increased in numbers 
rapidly during the early years of its existence, and in 1882 had 
seventy members on its roster. These represented about every 
New Hampshire regiment or organization that went to the war, 
as well as a number of the regiments from the neighboring states 
of Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. 

Soon after the first Memorial Day, the Post held a strawberry 
festival on July 3, at the grove in the rear of Penacook Academy, 
from which they realized $54.57 for the Post fund. 

By vote of the Post, Comrade Samuel N. Brown was requested 
to write a sketch of the life of Maj. William I. Brown for whom the 
Post was named ; Comrade Brown prepared the sketch and read 
the same at the meeting of November 2, 1875. The sketch was 
copied in full upon the adjutant's record book. It was afterwards 
printed in pamphlet form at the request of (and at the expense of) 
Comrade D. Arthur Brown. 

Memorial Day, 1876, was observed with much the same form 
as on the first year. The Brown's band and the two engine com- 
panies were in procession, and the oration at the cemetery was by 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 1 95 

Gov. Walter Harriman. On this day the Post sent a detail of 
comrades in a four-horse team to the Horse Hill cemetery, where 
the graves were first decorated. 

In 1877 the procession included Brown's band, Pioneer Engine 
Co., Concord Lodge, No. 8, Knights of Pythias, and Myrtle 
Lodge, No. 14, of the same order. The orator was Rev. Leander 
S. Coan, department chaplain of New Hampshire, who also as- 
sisted at an entertainment in the hall in the evening. At the close 
of the afternoon exercises a collation was served in Exchange hall. 

August 23, 1877, on invitation of the city government, the Post 
went to Concord, and took part in the exercises of the reception 
to President Rutherford B. Hayes. 

In 1878 on Memorial Day, all factories (except the flour mill) 
shut down for the whole day. The oration this }'ear was at the 
cemetery, and was delivered by Rev. Henry K. Powers of Man- 
chester. Brown's band furnished music, and Torrent Engine Com- 
pany joined in the parade. A collation was served at Exchange 
Hall after the exercises at the cemetery. 

Rev. H. Woodward delivered the oration on Memorial Day, 1879. 

In September, 1879, the Post attended the dedication of the 
soldiers' monument at Manchester, accompanied by a drum corps. 

A fair or levee was held in Exchange hall Nov. 20, 1879, which 
gave the Post net proceeds amounting to $118. 

In the following year, May 5, 1880, the Post invited the several 
pastors of the village churches to preach memorial sermons on 
the Sunday preceding Memorial Day. 

On Memorial Day, 1880, a detail of comrades from the Post 
were sent to decorate the graves at Canterbury and Boscawen. 
The oration this year was by Rev. J. B. Robinson. In the parade 
were the Brown's band, the fire companies, and the cadets from 
the School of Practice, Rev. J. H. Larry, manager. 

In 1 88 1 both the fire companies declined an invitation to 
parade. The Post drum corps furnished music for the march. 
The cadets were again in line, and a delegation from Post 44 
assisted in the decorative exercises. The orator was Rev. J. H. 
Larry. 

October 2, 1881, the Post attended a memorial service on the 
death of President Garfield, at the Baptist church. April 16, 1882, 



196 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

the department chaplain, Rev. D. C. Roberts, delivered an 
address on the G. A. R., at Exchange hall. In May, 1882, the 
great fair of the Post was held, from which the net proceeds were 
$557.50, which replenished the treasury finely. 

The city government first appropriated money for Post 31, for 
use on Memorial Day, in May, 1882. The orator on this occa- 
sion was Rev. G. W. Grover of Nashua. In November of this 
year the Post made a fraternal visit to Louis Bell Post at Man- 
chester; January 25, 1883, visited Post 2 at Concord, to attend 
their campfire. 

On Memorial Sunday, 1883, the Post first attended religious 
services together, at the Methodist church, where they were 
escorted by the Sons of Veterans. The orator on Memorial Day 
was Rev. C. H. Kimball of Manchester. 

On April 3, 1884, a fine gold badge was presented to Depart- 
ment Commander Linehan, as a token of the esteem of his com- 
rades of W. I. Brown Post 3 1 . The badge was purchased by 
subscriptions and the presentation was b}^ the Post Commander, 
Henry F. Brown. The orator on Memorial Day, 1884, was Rev. 
Welcome E. Bates. 

The records of the Union Soldiers' Aid Society were presented 
to the Post on April 16, 1885. 

The comrades attended services at the Baptist church on 
Memorial Sunday, 1885. The Memorial Day orator was Rev. 
C. E. Milliken, and the exercises were held in Exchange hall. 
A collation was served after return from the cemetery. In June, 
1885, the Post obtained a Grand Army lot in Woodlawn ceme- 
tery, given by the Cemetery Association, in which burial could 
be made of deceased comrades who owned no lots. 

In 1886 Rev. Dr. Cephas B. Crane of Concord was Memorial 
Day orator, and the Post attended church at the Methodist. In 
November of this year the Post held a campfire at the Boscawen 
town hall for the benefit of the comrades residing in that section. 

The Post assisted in forming a Relief Corps in April, 1887, and 
on Memorial Sunday attended the Methodist church. Col. E. J. 
Copp was orator on Memorial Day, 1887. 

In 1888 the orator was Rev. C. W. Hcizcr of Manchester, and 
the Sunday exercises were at the Congregational church. 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 1 9/ 

March 14, 1889, a committee was appointed to memorialize 
the legislature in favor of establishing a New Hampshire Soldiers' 
Home. 

This year's orator was Rev. F H. Buffum. The Post went to 
Boscawen in the morning, and in the evening of Memorial Day 
Comrade Linehan gaye a very interesting lecture at Exchange 
hall, the title of the lecture being " Music and Songs of the 
War." This proved to be so popular that Colonel Linehan has 
since been called to deliver it in all parts of the state. On Octo- 
ber 12, 1889, the Relief Corps presented an elegant silk flag to 
the Post, which has since been carried in all parades of the Post. 
The Post attended the dedication of the soldiers' monument at 
Nashua, October 15, 1889. 

Hon. Frank D. Currier of Canaan was orator on Memorial Day, 
1890, and the Sunday service was at the Methodist church. 

In April, 1 89 1, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the G. A. R. 
was observed by a public meeting in Exchange hall. Among 
the speakers on that occasion were Capt. Jack Adams and Hon. 
W. M. Olin of Boston, also Hon. John C. Linehan. 

On Memorial Day, 1891, the Post went to Boscawen in the 
forenoon, with the usual exercises in Exchange hall in the after- 
noon, including the oration by Rev. W. C. Bartlett, and singing by 
a male quartette and by the school children. In the evening the 
Post went to Canterbury and held a campfire in the town hall. 
Colonel Linehan gave his lecture on " Music and Songs of the 
War," with D. Arthur Brown as bugler. On this day one hundred 
and sixty-three graves of soldiers and sailors were decorated. 

The fire in Sanders block, December 31, 1891, destroyed most 
of the property of the Post. Insurance on the property for $200 
was paid, and the Post gave $80 from that to the Relief Corps, 
as there was no insurance on the property of that organization. 

Services of Memorial Sunday in 1892 were at the Baptist 
church. The orator for Memorial Day, 1892, was Hon. Henry 
Robinson. For orator in 1893 the Post secured Rev. T. J. 
Conaty, a prominent clergyman of Worcester, Mass. The 
Troubadour Club of Concord (twenty male voices) sang on that 
occasion ; also the school children sang several pieces and 
marched to the cemetery. 



198 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



On January 4, 1894, Hon. Charles H. Amsden presented a 
memorial book (costing $100) to the Post, at a public meeting 
held for that purpose. Mr. Amsden made a fitting speech of 
presentation, and Comrade Linehan delivered the address of 
thanks for the gift. Addresses were made by the department 
commander, Frank G. Noyes of Nashua, and by several comrades 
of Post 2. 




I'oLicK Station and G. A. R. Hall. 

Subsequently Comrades J. C. Linehan and D. Arthur Brown 
were made a committee to fill the memorial book with the per- 
sonal records of each member of the Post, and of all soldiers and 
sailors who went to the war from Penacook. Comrade Linehan 
prepared the records of the men and a histor\^ of the Post, and 
several comrades wrote of tlicir experience in camp and in battles; 
then the whole was copied into the memorial book b}' Comrade 
D. Arthur Brown, who by order of the Post deposited the book 
for safe keeping in the state library at Concord, on April 16, 1896. 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 1 99 

After the fire at Sanders block the Post secured quarters at 
Pantheon hall, where the meetings were held until January 4, 
1894, when the Post headquarters were established in the new 
Sanders block. That remained headquarters until January i, 
1 90 1, when the Post took possession of the new hall in the police 
station. This hall was provided for use of the Post and Relief 
Corps by the city government, free of expense for rent or heating. 

In 1894 services on Memorial Sunday were at the Congrega- 
tional church. On Memorial day, Rev. E. G. Spencer was orator 
and music was furnished by Peabody's Cadet band. 

The following year, 1895, the Post attended church at the 
Episcopal chapel. The orator on Memorial day was Hon. J. W. 
Remick. The school children sang again on this occasion. 

In 1896 the church service was at the Baptist house. The 
orator on Memorial day was Frederick B. Eaton, Esq. ; music by 
Peabody's band and the school children. 

Rev. Frank L. Phalen was Memorial orator in 1897, and the 
religious services were held at the Episcopal church. 

Rev. Dr. H. P. Dewey gave the 1898 oration on Memorial day, 
the music being given by the Schubert quartette and Peabody's 
band ; the Sunday services this year being at the Methodist 
church. 

In 1899 the Post attended service at the Baptist church. Rev. 
G. W. Farmer was Memorial orator. The Spanish War veterans 
were invited and joined in the parade: they also decorated the 
grave of one soldier of that war ; music by Peabody's band and 
the Schubert quartette. 

The wreaths used on Memorial day, 1900, were purchased 
ready made, and were much better than the homemade wreaths 
used heretofore. Instead of bouquets tied on the flags as used in 
previous years, the Post purchased potted plants to decorate the 
graves. The music for this year was by Mr. H. H. Gorrell of 
Laconia and the Peabody band. Rev. Frank L. Phalen was the 
orator, and the Sunday services were at the Methodist house. 

The number of graves to be decorated has increased from twen- 
ty-six to one hundred and ninety-five, while the number of com- 
rades capable of doing duty grows constantly less, the number of 
comrades belonging to the Post in 1900 being only forty-seven. 



200 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

There has been paid out from the reHef fund since November, 
1885, the sum of $308.92. 

The whole number of members on the roll is one hundred and 
thirty-four, and of that number thirty-four have died up to April 
22, 1 90 1, 

W. I. BROWN W. R. C, NO. 45. 

The first meeting to consider the subject of organizing the 
Woman's ReHef Corps was held in Grand Army hall, April 29, 
1887 ; this meeting was attended by the comrades and their wives, 
and the feeling was favorable for the new organization. At an 
adjourned meeting on May 6, committees were appointed for can- 
vassing in behalf of the movement, and application for a charter 
was authorized. The charter is dated May 20, 1887, and carries 
twenty-seven names, these charter members being as follows : 

Emma A. Morse, Philena I. Vinica, Elvira C. Annis, Annie A. Jones, 

Frances S.Webster, Ellen F. Farnum, Stella M. Dimond, Eliza J. Bent, 

Ella E. Emerson, Mary P. Atkinson, Susie A. Knowlton, Thirza A. Haines, 

Susie E. Haines, Sarah J. Moody, Eliza K. Chadwiclc, Rachel Davis, 

P. J. Ingraham, Mary A. Dimond, Cora E. Ladieu, Sarah J. Jerald, 

Carrie Shepard, R. C. Deschamps. Eldora L. Moody, Eva E. Ladieu. 

Kate Corey, Phebe A. Crowther, Julia A. Elliott, 

The corps was instituted May 20, 1887, by Mrs. Mary A. Pratt, 
department president, who administered the obligation to twenty- 
seven members. 

The work of the Order was then exemplified by Mrs. Staniels, 
president, and the of^cers and members of E. E. Sturtevant Corps, 
No. 24. 

The original board of officers was as follows : 

President, Emma A. Morse. Secretary, Annie A. Jones. 

Senior Vice-President, Philena I. Vinica. Treasurer, Frances S. Webster. 

Junior Vice-President, Elvira C. Annis. Chaplain, Ellen F. Farnum. 

Conductor, Stella M. Dimond. Guard, Eliza J. Bent. 

Assistant Conductor, Ella E. Emerson. Assistant Guard, Mary P. Atkinson. 

These officers were installed by Mrs. Mary A. Pratt. 

The Corps immediately began active work, and assumed the 
work of making the wreaths and bouquets of Memorial Day, 1887, 
which work they continued on each succeeding year until 1900, 
on which later year the Post purchased the wreaths and flowers of 



MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SOCIETIES. 201 

a florist. This corps also began on this first year furnishing a 
collation for the Post on Memorial Day, and have not neglected 
that duty a single year to the present date. Aside from the Me- 
morial Day service, they have furnished collations for the Post at 
installations, public meetings and the like, times without number, 
and have done like service for the Sons of Veterans on many oc- 
casions. In fact, there has been no occasion on which a collation 
was needed, when the Corps has not cheerfully given their services. 

This Corps also began, in 1887, attending church on Memorial 
Sundays, and have continued that practice with the Post and Sons 
of Veterans. 

In the earlier years of the organization they increased in mem- 
bership rapidly, and at one time had nearly one hundred names 
on the roll. 

To secure funds for their use the Corps has been prolific in 
picnics, levees, suppers, and parties of various kinds. In the line 
of suppers they have had a surprising number of different kinds, 
or at least different names, some of which are harvest supper, 
Shaker supper, old folks' supper, colonial tea, inauguration supper, 
chowder supper, election supper, fireman's supper, etc., but the 
beans are relished just as well under one name as under any other. 
The Corps has also held apron and necktie parties. Fourth of July 
picnics, socials, bonnet parties, povert)' parties, calico parties, etc., 
from all of which they realized more or less money for their relief 
or general funds. This would indicate that Corps 45 is a working 
organization, but it is not alone in the above mentioned departments 
that they have been active. Their visits to, and care of, the sick and 
afflicted of the families connected with the Post and Sons as well 
as those of their own membership, have been a blessing to the 
community, and their work in that line is deserving of all honor. 

Another object on which their time, labor, and money has been 
expended is the Soldiers' Home at Tilton, N. H., where they 
have made annual visits, and have completely furnished a room in 
the hospital building, largely from their own funds, but with some 
help from the West Concord Corps, the amount expended there 
being about $1 50. 

The Corps has maintained a relief fund of ample amount for 
their own organization, and has contributed about $150 to the 



202 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



relief fund of the Post, besides a small amount to the Sons of 
Veterans. Aside from these sums the Corps has expended in 
direct relief contributions in cases of sickness or death about 
$300. 

The Post room in Sanders block, where the Corps held their 
meetings, was burned Dec. 31, 1891, and the Corps lost all their 
property which was not insured. To assist them the Post con- 
tributed $80, the Department Council of the W. R. C. of New 
Hampshire gave $20, and the West Concord Corps contributed 
$10, and Corps 45 went forward with their work as prosperously 
as ever. The present number of members is forty-six. The ofificers 
have been as follows: 



Presidents. 
1887 — Emma A. Morse. 
1888 — Annie A. Jones. 
1889 — Emma A. Morse. 
1890 — Philena I. Vinica. 
1 891 — Ella E. Emerson. 
1892 — Susie E. Haines. 
1893 — Mary E. Dimond. 
1894 — Mary E. Dimond. 
1895 — Ellen F. Farnum. 
1896 — Thirza A. Haines. 
1897 — Ella E. Emerson. 
1898— Eliza J. Bent. 
1899 — Fannie M. Blake. 
1900 — Myrta C. Haines. 
1901 — Myrta C. Haines. 



Secretaries. 
Annie A. Jones. 
Ella E. Emersun. 
Sarah J. Jerald, 
Annie A. Jones. 
Philena I. Vinica. 
Philena I. Vinica. 
Eldora A. Moody. 
Eldora A. Moody. 
Philena I. Vinica. 
Philena 1. Vinica. 
Annie A. Jones. 
Annie A. Jones. 
Roxa P. Rolfe. 
Annie A. Jones. 
Annie A. Jones. 



Treasurers. 
Frances S. Webster. 
Parmelia L. Ingraham. 
Ellen F. Farnum. 
Mary E. Dimond. 
Mary E. Dimond. 
Mary E. Dimond. 
Annie A. Jones. 
Annie A. Jones. 
Annie A. Jones. 
Roxa P. Rolfe. 
Lydia F. Smith. 
Kate B. Wiggin. 
Kate B. Wiggin. 
Ellen F. Farnum. 
Ella E. Everett. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE PENACOOK AND BOSCAWEN WATER SYSTEM. 

[CONTRIBUTED BY HON. JOHN C. PEARSON.] 

To E. E. Graves, M. D., and the late Isaac K. Gage belongs the 
credit for taking the first step in bringing the water from Great 
pond in Boscawen to the village of Penacook and intermediate 
points. At their request the selectmen of Boscawen incorporated 
in the warrant for the annual town meeting in March, 1889, an 
article to see if the town would vote to raise and appropriate the 
sum of $100 to defray the expense of a survey of the line from 
Great pond to Penacook. At the annual meeting following the 
town voted that sum, and in the summer of that year the services 
of Mr. George W. Lane of Chichester were engaged, under whose 
direction two lines were surveyed. One was by the highway 
leading to Water street, to a point near the residence of the late 
Franklin P. Atkinson ; thence across the land of the late Leonard 
Silver and land of Henry Cofifin and others to the easterly end of 
the pond south of the residence of John A. McClure. This route 
was found to be not feasible by reason of the deep cut required 
through the Coffin farm. A second line, bec^inning at the outlet 
of the pond, thence south by the site of mills formerl}^ owned by 
Ira Jackman, southeasterly, easterly, and northerly, to the high- 
way east of the Folsom farm, formerly owned by the late Hervey 
Atkinson, and thence by the highway to the village of Penacook, 
was reported to be feasible, though somewhat circuitous, by 
reason of high ridges of land that it was necessary to avoid. 

At the June session of the New Hampshire legislature in 1889 
E. E. Graves, M. D., representative from the town of Boscawen, 
introduced a bill, which was passed by both branches and 
approv^ed b}^ the governor, chartering the Boscawen & Penacook 
Water-Works Company. It gave to said company the right to 
enter upon, to pass over, and to construct a system of water- 
works for fire and domestic purposes, with the right to sell to the 



204 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

town of Boscawen or the city of Concord, or to any fire precinct 
that might be formed, any system of water-works which the com- 
pany might construct should such a course be deemed advisable. 
The corporation was organized according to law, the charter fees 
were paid by the voluntary contributions of a few public-spirited 
citizens, and the company began its struggle for an existence. 
The friends of the enterprise were few, the opposition was strenu- 
ous, and sometimes it appeared as though there was no chance 
for public support or approval. For nearly two years the strug- 
gle went on, the friends of the project working in season and out 
of season and winning one after another to their side. On the 
1 8th of June, 1891, the following notice was printed and posted: 

"IMPORTANT NOTICE. 

"All persons in Boscawen and Penacook interested in having a 

" supply of water brought from Great Pond in Boscawen through 

" Boscawen Plain and Penacook north of the Contoocook River, 

" are requested to meet in the Torrent Engine Hall in Penacook 

" on Thursday evening, June 25th next, at 7 : 30 o'clock, to see 

" what action can be taken to secure an immediate and abundant 

" supply of water. A full attendance is earnestly requested. By 

" order of the directors of the Boscawen and Penacook Water 

" Works Co. 

" Isaac K. Gage, Scc'y. 

"Penacook, N. H., June 18th, 1891." 

At this meeting there was a good attendance, and the discus- 
sion was warm for and against the proposition. This seems to 
have, been the turning point. The result was a gain for the 
friends of the enterprise, and meetings were called in quick 
succession. 

That part of the village of Penacook and of Ward One in Con- 
cord lying north of the Contoocook river was without an ade- 
quate supply of water, and the plan was made to form the Pena- 
cook and Boscawen Water Precinct, embracing that part of the 
town of Boscawen lying south of the highway leading from Bos- 
cawen Plain to Swctt's Mills in Webster, beginning at the point 
where the line dividing the towns of Boscawen and Webster inter- 
sects the highway, thence easterly and northerly by this highway 



PENACOOK AND BOSCAWEN WATER-WORKS SYSTEM. 205 

to the east line of the Hervey Atkinson farm, thence north by said 
east line and the east line of land known as the Dr. Wood land 
to the highway leading from Boscawen to Corser Hill in Webster, 
thence by this highway and easterly to the highway leading past 
the old cemetery, northeasterly over Mount Pleasant, so called, 
past the house now owned by Enoch Gibson, and easterly to the 
Merrimack river ; embracing also that part of the village of Pena- 
cook in Ward One of Concord north of the Contoocook river. 

Pending the adoption of this plan, overtures were made to Ward 
One in Concord to join in the enterprise and to receive its water 
supply from this source instead of from Penacook lake, but the 
negotiations failed. The city of Concord, desiring to increase its 
water supply, caused a survey to be made to Great pond and 
the water to be analyzed. Conditions were found to be so much 
in its favor that the city applied to the legislature of 189 1-92 for 
a charter, for the purpose of taking the water. A hearing was 
had before the committee of the senate, the bill having been 
introduced in that branch of the legislature. Counsel for the city 
appeared, and stated that the city needed the water and that any 
rights the Boscawen & Penacook Water-Works Company might 
have by reason of a prior charter were of no account by reason 
of the inability of that company to raise the necessary funds to 
accomplish the work. 

A good number of the friends of the Boscawen plan were pres- 
ent, and objected to being so treated. Believing, as they did, 
that the water supply was ample for all, this proposition was 
made by those representing the Boscawen and Penacook com- 
pany : That the Boscawen & Penacook Water-Works Company 
would relinquish its rights and privileges, under its charter, to the 
city of Concord if said city would agree to furnish to the citizens 
of Boscawen and that part of the village of Penacook in Ward 
One north of the Contoocook river, water for donieslic use at the 
same rates charged the citizens of Concord, leaving the hydrant 
rates to be fixed as the city should deem just and equitable. The 
city of Concord did not get its desired legislation. 

All these troubles were helps to the Boscawen & Penacook 
Water-Works Company. Friends came to its aid. Money was 
raised and appropriated to make an accurate survey of the best 



206 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

line that could be located from the pond. Bartlett, Gay & Young, 
civil engineers and contractors, of Manchester, made an accurate 
survey and careful estimates as to the probable cost of construc- 
tion, and the first work of any amount was done before the snow 
of the winter came in 1892. Meetings followed each other in 
quick succession, all favorable to the carrying on of the plans. 
Committees were appointed, estimates and bids were advertised 
for, money was appropriated, and the work went on. A contract 
was made with the Michigan Pipe Company of Bay City, INIich., 
to furnish the pipe and lay it complete, with the necessary 
hydrants and supply pipes. In January, 1893, the water from 
Great pond was flowing freely through more than twelve miles of 
pipe, furnishing an abundant supply of water, so pure that the 
most careful analysis can hardly detect impurities. 

Subsequently the Penacook & Boscawen Water Precinct bought 
of the Boscawen & Penacook Water-Works Company all its rights 
and privileges, the construction having been done b}' the char- 
tered company, and the entire plant became the property of the 
precinct, which stands as at first organized. The Boscawen & 
Penacook Water-Works Company is out of business. 

Great credit is due the public-spirited few who in the early 
months and years of the first life of this important work, and even 
before there was life, stood so true and steadfast in their faith in 
the worth of this undertaking. I cannot forbear giving the names 
of some of these men. First, as stated in the beginning of this 
article, stand the names of E. E. Graves, M. U., and Isaac K. 
Gage ; with them should be associated the names of Hon. Willis 
G. Buxton, A. C. Alexander, M. D., Charles H. Sanders, E. S- 
Harris, Lyman K. Hall, A. A. Harris, Hon. Charles H. Amsden, 
Hon. Edmund H. Brown, Henry F. Brown, D. Arthur Brown, 
Samuel N. Brown, Stewart I. Brown, George Neller, John C. 
Morrison, George L. Pillsbur}-, and others, who by their acts and 
deeds helped bring about the happy consummation. 

[Signed] Joiix C. PEARSON. 

Hon. John C. Pearson, the writer of the foregoing article, was 
himself a prominent actor in the establishment of the water s}-stcm. 
At the hearing before the senate committee he was particularly 



DUSTIN ISLAND MONUMENT, 



207 



active, and his strong argument against the Concord scheme was 
effective in defeating their hostile plans. 

The Penacook and Boscawen Water Precinct assumed the ex- 
pense of construction of the works and issued bonds for the neces- 
sary amount to pay for the same. The present officers of the 
precinct are, — Moderator, Robert L. Harris ; Clerk and Treasurer, 
Hon. W. G. Buxton ; Commissioners, Dr. E. E. Graves, Robert L. 
Harris, George Neller. 



-■'^-"■ygg ' jyf 





f''C\ 




DUSTIN ISLAND MONUMENT. 
To commemorate the wonderful exploits of Hannah Dustin and 
her two companions, there was a monument erected in 1874 on 
the island where she killed the Indians. The funds for procuring- 
the monument and placing it in position were secured by contri- 
butions from citizens along the Merrimack valley from Franklin to 
Haverhill, mainly by the personal efforts of Robert B. Caverly, 



208 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

Esq., of Lowell, Mass., and E. S. Nutter, of Concord, N. H. The 
land, all of .the island east of the Northern railroad, was given by 
J. C. Gage and Calvin Gage in trust to Rev. N. Bouton, E. S. 
Nutter, and R. B. Caverly, and by them, at the dedication of the 
monument, was turned over to the state of New Hampshire. 

The exercises of the dedication were on June 17, 1874, and 
drew together a very large compan}- from the village and the sur- 
rounding towns. Music was furnished by Brown's band and a 
chorus of singers under the direction of Prof. John Jackman. A 
collation was served from tables in the grove on the westerly side 
of the railroad. Addresses were made by Rev. Nathaniel Bouton 
of Concord, N. H., Robert B. Caverly of Lowell, Mass., Hon. B. F. 
Prescott of Epping, Col. John H. George of Concord, Hon. G. 
W. Nesmith of Franklin, Major-General S. G. Griffin of Keene, D. 
O. Allen of Lowell, Rev. Elias Nason of Billerica, Mass., Charles 
C. Coffin, Esq., of Boston, Mass., Rev. W. T. Savage of Franklin, 
and ex-Governor Onslow Stearns of Concord. Gov. James A. 
Weston accepted the deed in trust for the state of New Hampshire. 
The monument is of Concord granite, the design was by William 
Andrews of Lowell, Mass., the sculptors were Andrew Orsolini, 
William Murray, and Charles H. Andrews, and the monument was 
erected by Porter Blanchard of Concord. The base of the monu- 
ment is 8 feet square, the plinth is 6i feet square, and the die 
is 4 feet 8 inches square by 7 feet 7 inches high, with sunken pan- 
els 4 inches deep. The whole monument from the ground to the 
top of the statue is 25 feet. The statue of Mrs. Dustin is 7 1-2 
feet high, and is well designed and finely executed. 

Mrs. Dustin is represented holding the tomahawk in her right 
hand and the bundle of scalps in the left; one foot is bare and the 
other has a shoe. The die on the north face bears the names of 
the contributors of the funds, which are as follows : 

John S. Brown. Jonas B. Aiken. John Proctor. 

y\hnon Harris. Edward L. Knowlton. Geo. W. Nesmith. 

Artemus L. Brooks. Josiah G. Graves. Onslow Stearns. 

Benj. F. Butler. Norris Knowles. Walter Aiken. 

Edward Spaulding. Henry F. Brown. D. Arthur Brown. 

Joseph Stickney. John C. Gage. George A. Pillsbury. 

James C. Ayer. Isaac Adams. Calvin Grlge. 

Mrs. J. Bancroft. Emily Rogers. 

W. P. Cooledjre. Eliza Rogers. 



DUSTIN ISLAND MONUMENT. 209 

And many others. On the we.st die the inscription is as follows : 

heroum gesta 

fides justitia. 

hannah dustin. 

marv neff. 

samuel leonardson. 

March 30, 1697. 

.\nDNIGHT. 

The south die shows the gift of the monument to the state, as 
follows : 

Know ye that we with many plant it, 

In trust to the state we give and grant it, 

That the tide of time may never cant it. 

Nor mar nor sever. 
That pilgrims here may heed the mothers. 
That truth and faith and all the others. 
With banners high in glorious colors, 
May stand forever. 
Witness: Nath. Bouton. 

B. F. Prescott. Eliphalf.t S. Nutter. 

Isaac K. Gage. Robert B. Caverly. 

The east die has an inscription as follows : 

March 

15 1697 . 30 

THE WAR-WHOOP TOMAHAWK 

FAGGOT AND INFANTICIDES 

WERE AT HAVERHILL 

WIGWAM-CAMP FIRES AT NIGHT 

AND TEN OF THE TRIBE 

ARE HERE. 

The monument is enclosed by a substantial iron fence, on a 
granite base, designed and erected by D. Arthur Brown ; the ex- 
pense of the fence and base being assumed by the state. 

To many persons the inscriptions on the monument seem hardly 
adequate, and it is doubtful if any one could learn from the in- 
scriptions what the monument was intended to commemorate. It 
is hoped that the state may at some time cover those inscriptions 
with bronze tablets, on which shall be given the main points of the 
15 



2 10 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

tragic story ; the date of the massacre, and the date of the dedica- 
tion of the monument. 

Dustin's Island was formerly much larger than at present, large 
enough so that William H. Gage planted corn, and pastured sheep 
on the island. The action of the riv^er currents have cut down the 
island to the present dimensions. 

CELEBRATIONS, ETC. 

One of the earlier celebrations in the village was on the fiftieth 
anniversary of the independence of the United States, July 4, 1826. 
This was quite a notable gathering, including citizens from the 
surrounding towns. The exercises were held on Dustin's island, 
and included a picnic dinner, reading the Declaration, speeches, 
toasts, etc., and a big bonfire. Citizens were to be conveyed to 
the island by boat, and the committee decided that no children 
under fourteen years of age could attend. That did not suit all 
the younger people, who had been looking forward to this occa- 
sion with great expectations for many days, and could not give it 
up. So Harriet Chandler (aged 9), Phebe Rolfe, Sophronia Gage, 
and other young folk, went to the river bank near the present 
corn-mill, took off their shoes and stockings, and waded over to 
the island, and took part in the celebration, so far as allowed by 
their parents, who sent them ashore in the boats at the close of 
the exercises. 

On Jul}' 4, 1837, the citizens met in the morning at the Contoo- 
cook Mill (then just completed but having no machiner\') and 
formed a procession ; men with their wives, and bo}-s with their 
best girls, making quite a long line, which marched to Boscawen 
Plains, thence down to the Merrimack river, where they went on 
board a large boat owned by Chandler Gage, and floated down 
stream to the mouth of the Contoocook and landed near the site 
of the flour mill. There they were met by a company from Bos- 
cawen who escorted the party back to the Contoocook mill, where 
they all had dinner, and after dinner had a dance on the big floor 
of the new mill. To complete the day's celebration most of the 
party went to Concord in the evening to see a display of fireworks. 

On July 4, 1845, t^ic citizens had a celebration, being joined in 
this by the citizens of West Concord. A procession was formed 



CELEBRATIONS, ETC. 211 

at the tavern on the Boscawen side, headed by a band of some- 
what pecuHar instrumentation, as follows: Two v^iolins, played by 
Davnd A.Brown and Jeremiah Burpee; one violincello, played by 
Samuel F. Brown; bugle, by G. Frank Sanborn; flute, by Otis 
Stanley; fife, by Nathan W. Gove; snare drum, by Charles 
Abbott; and bass drum by A. J. Elliott. The procession 
marched to the grove just back of the schoolhouse lot on the 
Concord side, where a speakers' stand had been erected and seats 
prepared for the audience. The presiding officer was Rev. 
Edmund Worth, and with him on the stage were Rev. Dr. Bouton 
of Concord and Priest Tenney of West Concord, both of whom 
took part in the exercises. One of the most promising }'Oung 
men in the village, Abial Rolfe, read the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. The principal orator was Judge Dana of Concord, 
who spoke of the Indian wars, in which his father had been an 
active participant. Harriet Chandler, now living, in 1900, at 
eight}'-three years, was one of the singers who took part in the 
exercises. Two others who took active part in this celebration 
are still living, Geo. Frank Sanborn and Charles Abbott. 

On July 4, 1847, there was a celebration with exercises in the 
new Penacook mill, on the lower floor of the east half, as there 
had then been no machinery put in that part. The orator on this 
occasion was Esquire Lewis Smith. Other items of this celebra- 
tion are not at hand. 

Another Fourth of July celebration, in 1864, was held in Har- 
mony grove, on the Rolfe island, not far from the present table 
shop. On this occasion Col. Abial Rolfe made a notable speech, 
and Governor Gilmore was present and made a speech. 

On another Fourth of July, 1855, all the religious societies in 
the village joined forces for the day, forming a procession near 
the old hotel on the Boscawen side, and, headed by the Fish- 
crville Cornet band, Abbott's Drum corps, and Pioneer Fire 
company, they marched to a grove on the hillside near Queen 
street, west of the residence of Guy H. Hubbard. In this proces- 
sion the Catholic societ}- turned out the largest number of people 
in the ranks, this being the first public demonstration to the people 
of the village that the Catholic society was larger than either of 
the others, a distinction which they have ever since maintained. 



212 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

The "Sanitary Fair," held on January i, 1864, by the Ladies' 
Union Soldiers' Aid society, was the most notable event of that 
character that ever transpired in the village. It was held at the 
Baptist church, which was profusely decorated and illuminated in 
all parts ; a covered way was built from the front entrance to the 
side entrance to allow the people to pass freely from the lower to 
the upper rooms. The Concord Brass band was engaged to fur- 
nish music, and the great organ was played by Prof. Asa L. Drew 
of Concord. The committee to arrange the whole affair consisted 
of H. H. Brown and wife, John D. Fife and wife, John C. Gage 
and wife, and A. A. Harris and wife. 

A subscription paper was circulated before the fair, and cash 
contributions amounting to $242.30 were received from sixty-two 
contributors, the largest sums being given by H. H. and J. S. 
Brown, $50 and $20 respectively. Caldwell & Amsden con- 
tributed a set of black walnut chamber furniture, and the work- 
men followed their example by contributing four sets of pine 
chamber furniture; these were furnished by the efforts of John 
Carter, Charles Black, Frank A. Abbott, and S. Prentice Dan- 
forth. George H. Amsden also contributed six tables. Many 
other articles were contributed by the citizens, and a large assort- 
ment of silverware, etc., taken from the stores for sale. The 
amount taken for tickets of admission was $229.26, and total 
receipts were $1,065.64. Expenses, $129.19, leaving the net 
proceeds at $936.45. The whole affair was entirely successful, 
and very enjoyable to all the great assemblage of persons who 
attended. 

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN DANIEL WEBSTER AND HIS NEW 
HAMPSHIRE NEIGHBORS. 

Daniel Webster was born so near this village that the citizens 
of Fishcrville could justly claim to be neighbors of the great 
defender of the constitution. When journeying from and to his 
law ofifice at Boscawen he often called on the citizens here, espe- 
cially on Esquire Wm. H. Gage, who lived in the house now 
occupied by his son, Asa M. Gage. It is doubtless true that Mr. 
Webster was respected and loved by about all of the citizens of 
this village, and they took a just pride in his great achievements 



CORRESPONDENCE OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



213 



in the senate of the United States. Mr. Webster's great speech 
in the senate on March 7, 1850, — which was so bitterly resented 
by hosts of his former political friends as to cost him the loss of 
the presidential nomination, — was read here by his neighbors with 
feelings of admiration and regret, but the fierce denunciations of 
the great statesman elsewhere seem to have only moved his old 
friends and neighbors into closer sympath}' for their great leader. 

In August, 1850, a letter was prepared, probably by Rev. 
Ebenezer Price, and signed by eight clergymen and one hundred 
and nineteen others, assuring Mr. Webster of their unfaltering 
confidence and respect. The whole letter was in most excellent 
form, and must have been gratifying to even so great a man as 
Daniel Webster. The reply of Mr. Webster, written at Washing- 
ton, September 21, 1850, was a noble production, and the portion 
addressed particularl}' to his friends and neighbors was a perfect 
gem. The concluding sentence reads: "And the affectionate 
" terms in which }'ou express yourselves make your letter a treas- 
" ure, precious in my esteem, which I shall keep near me always 
" while I live, and leave for the gratification of those who come 
" after me." 

The signers of the letter who resided in the village were: 



Rev. Edmund Worth, 
John S. Brown, 
Daniel S. Balch, 
John Batchelder, 
Dr. A. O. Blanding, 
James K. Brickett, 
John A. Coburn, 
Nathan Chandler, 
Abial R. Chandler, 
Samuel K. Choate, 
Hon. James Briggs, 
Samuel R. Flanders, 
John C. Gage, 



Luther Gage, 
Calvin Gage, 
Hiram Gage, 
Richard Gage, 
Jacob Hosmer, 
Almon Harris, 
John Johnson, 
John C. Johnson, 
Luther G. Johnson, 
Reuben Johnson, 
John Jameson, 
Jeremiah Kimball, 
Dr. J. W. Little, 



Calvin Gerrish, 
Greenough McOuesten, 
William G. McOuesten, 
Capt. Henry Rolfe, 
Timothy C. Rolfe, 
Col. Abial Rolfe, 
Eldad Tenney, 
Abner B. Winn, 
John G. Warren, 
Phineas J. Pearson, 
Joseph Gerrish, 
Horace D. Lewis, 
Joseph Pillsbury. 



Thirty-nine names in all, one third of the whole number of 
signers. Others whose names appear on the letter were residents 
of Salisbury, Franklin, Boscawen, Webster, Canterbury, West 
Concord, and Concord. Among those names are C. C. Cofifin, the 
eminent writer and historian ; Judge Geo. W. Nesmith, a life-long 



214 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

intimate friend of Mr. Webster; also Austin F. Pike, late United 
States senator, and Rev. Nathaniel Bouton, historian of Concord. 

CONXERT BY MAJ. ALFRED LITTLE. 

The first public concert ev^er given by INIaj. Alfred Little was at 
Pantheon hall, Fisherville, N. H., in March, 1846. It was a nota- 
ble and enjoyable occasion, so successful that he gave most of his 
time for some years afterwards traveling in the concert business. 
Major Little had for some years before this date been at work for 
Charles Austin, a manufacturer of reed instruments at Concord, 
N. H., and while there constructed for his own use a mclodeon, of 
exceptional power and brilliancy of tone, which he had learned to 
play in a truly artistic manner. The instrument was of a form 
never seen in these days, being a rectangular box of perhaps 
36x18 inches, with flat top in which were inserted the keys, round 
pieces of ivory, arranged in a double row, corresponding to the 
position of the white and black keys on a piano ; the lower part of 
this instrument was the bellows, which were operated by the left 
arm of the performer. Major Little was quite a wonderful per- 
former on the melodeon, an excellent singer, and although a crip- 
ple, was an actor of no mean power. He was a noted musician 
all over New England for many years in a class entirely by him- 
self, and has never had a successor. Besides his first public con- 
cert noted above', he gave several other concerts in the village, 
one or two in the old Congregational chapel, and some in the 
Congregational church. He was born in Boscawen June 3, 1823. 

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS. 

The year 1876 was ushered in at midnight by the ringing of 
bells, firing of guns and cannon, a great bonfire in Washington 
Square where was gathered a large company of the citizens and 
Brown's band, which began playing the national airs on the stroke 
of the clock at midnight. The bells were rung for an hour, 
twelve to one o'clock, and the band played about the same time. 
The bonfire was kept burning until morning. 

On July 4, 1876, the Boscawen citizens had a celebration in the 
pine grove east of Penacook academy, president of the day, N. 
Butler, P^sq. ; secretaries, Isaac K. Gage, Chas. E. Chadwick, and 



REMINISCENCES. 215 

Chas. M. Rolfe ; toastmaster, Rev. A. C. Hardy. The bells were 
rung at sunrise and at noon. A national salute of thirteen guns 
was fired at sunrise, a salute of twenty-six at noon, and about sun- 
set sixty-one more guns were fired, making one hundred during 
the day. 

The exercises in the grove began at 2 p. m., with 

Prayer by Rev. J. E. Burr. 

Reading the Declaration by Rev. J. A. Freeman. 

Oration by Charles C. Coffin, Esq., of Boston. 

Near the close of the oration (indications of a shower appear- 
ing) the meeting was adjourned to Academy hall. After the 
oration was finished, sentiments were proposed by the toastmaster, 
Rev. A C. Hardy, and responded to as follows: 

The Past, Present, and P\iture of our Government, by N. But- 
ler, Esq. 

The Day We Celebrate, by Col. E. G. Wood. 

The Mother Country, by Rev. J. A. F"reeman. 

The Old Folks at Home, by Col. D. F. Kimball. 

Boscawen's Son, the Town of Webster, by J. C. Pearson, Esq. 

The Orator of the Day, by C. C. Coffin, Esq. 

The exercises were interspersed with singing, accompanied by 
an organ and cornet, under the direction of S. G. Noyes. 

The celebration was closed by a grand display of fireworks in 
the evening, at Penacook Square. 

REMINISCENCES. 
[BY CAPT. NAT. ROI,FE. ] 

In the early years of the nineteenth centur\' the Borough was 
quite a village by itself, and quite a factor in the town affairs of 
Concord. The men were a strong, vigorous, and a rather rough 
set, nearly all belonging to the same party, and working strongly 
together in town meetings in opposition to the Concord street peo- 
ple. It is related that they were loud in opposition to the large 
appropriations by the town for schools. Another item which 
aroused their fiercest objections was the appropriation for ringing 
the bells. When these articles came up for action the Borough 
war cry, " Ring your own bells and school your own children, " 
was heard above all other noise and confusion. When the Bor- 



2l6 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

ough gang wanted to vote they often went to the ballot box in one 
solid body, and literally carried everything before them, with very 
little regard for the feelings or convenience of anybody else. At 
home they were inclined to have their own way, and sometimes 
did not show much deference to the wishes or rights of others. A 
certain thrifty citizen of Concord who owned land around the bog 
district complained a good deal about the Borough gang who, 
as he claimed, cut fire wood on his land without leave or license, 
and he could not find any way to stop their game. He came to 
Nath. Rolfe, who was a landowner in the immediate vicinity, about 
the case, and wanted to know how Mr. Rolfe managed to keep 
them off his land. Captain Rolfe answered, " I tell them to help 
themselves on my land, and take all the firewood they need." The 
result was the Borough liked their neighbor Rolfe too well to take 
overmuch off his land, and hated the thrifty Concord man just 
enough to incline them to bother him all they could. Firewood 
was then only worth the cutting, and taking some in the most con- 
venient place was not considered a very heinous crime. 

The year i8i6 was known as the cold year, and hardly any 
corn was raised in the state, but Nat. Rolfe had a piece of warm 
intervale land that he could get a fair crop from. Corn was the 
principal crop in those days, so that a failure of that crop meant 
suffering for the poorer people. As soon as it became known that 
Captain Rolfe was raising a crop of corn, a sharp trader from 
Concord came up and tried to bu)' the whole of Rolfe's corn, 
knowing that the price must advance to a very high figure. Captain 
Rolfe told him that his corn was all sold. The trader was much 
disappointed, and asked who was so smart as to get ahead of him- 
self on the deal. Captain Rolfe replied, " The corn is all sold to 
the Borough." No trader got a bushel of that corn, but it was all 
sold to the poorer families at the Borough, and at the ordinary 
price of previous )-ears. 

[HV HARRIET CMANDLER.] 

At the Old Union school-house, while it was located on Brown's 
Hill, Mrs. Sarah Kimball Martin was the most noted female 
teacher. The scholars in those days all brought their dinner to 
school, and the teacher as well. During the cold weather when 



REMINISCENCES. 2 I 7 

they had a fire in the big open fireplace, the teacher told the 
scholars that if they would bring some potatoes she would 
bake them in the ashes, and they could have them all hot at the 
noon time. The next morning some time before close of school, 
Isaac K. Gage, who evidently was not keeping his mind on his 
books, rose up in his place and shouted, " Teacher, isn't it time to 
put the potatoes in the ashes?" This perhaps may sound strange 
to scholars of the present day, but is no greater contrast to their 
modern customs than arc the studies then most prominent. The 
" Catechism " and the " commandments " were daily read or re- 
cited, and were considered the proper exercises for all schools. 

Mrs. Reuben Johnson, wife of the landlord, when a girl was sent 
to Boscawen to attend school. She boarded in the house next to 
the Dix homestead, and frequently went to the Dix house to play 
with the children. On one evening when there the children all 
took off their shoes so as to make less noise in their play; during 
the play the shoes were thro\\n about the room, and Adams Dix 
threw one of Mrs. Johnson's shoes into the fireplace and burned it. 
So one, at least, of our village women in later years had some- 
thing to tell of her acquaintance with the celebrated Gen. John A. 
Dix, the author of that world famous order, " If any man attempts 
to haul down the American flag shoot him on the spot." 

In the early days of the village "Current Event clubs" and 
" Grange " meetings were unknown, but they then had a very 
good substitute for those things in the l}-ceum, which flourished 
here from about 1835 ^o 1850. Meetings were held monthl}^ or 
oftener, and the ladies took part in them by furnishing a " Paper," 
made up of such contributions as they could get and the remain- 
der being written by the editor. Mrs. Frances M. Winn, Mrs. 
S. M. Wheeler, and Miss Harriet Chandler were the most notable 
writers for those " papers." Other regular exercises were discus- 
sions or debates by chosen speakers. One of these was a dis- 
cussion on the relative merits of Queen Elizabeth and Mary 
Queen of Scots, the disputants being Lawyer Nehemiah Butler 
and Lawyer Samuel M. Wheeler. Another discussion was on 
" Which has the greater influence, women or wealth?" This was 
argued by Henry Rolfe and Thomas Wheat, but it does not 
appear how the question was decided. 



2l8 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Another feature of these old times was the lectures by promi- 
nent speakers from abroad. One of these lecturers is now living, 
— Hon. L. D. Stevens of Concord. 

The first piano brought into this village was bought by Reuben 
Johnson for his youngest daughter, Mary, and that instrument is 
still standing in the front room of the Isaac Gage house, having 
been in use for over fifty years. Mary Johnson, under the instruc- 
tion of Prof. A. L. Drew, became an excellent performer on the 
piano. 

Professor Drew played the first reed instrument (a melodeon) 
ever used in the Congregational church (on the north side), in 
1849, and that melodeon is still at the residence of Mrs. I. K. 
Gage. 

[CONTRIBUTED BY HON. JOHN KIMBALL.] 

In the fall of 1830 Benjamin Kimball moved into the Plummer 
house, and there were then in the x'illage seven families, having 
eighteen sons, as follows : Richard Gage, five, — Calvin, John 
Chandler, Hiram, Luther, Benjamin Franklin ; William H. Gage, 
two, — Isaac K., Asa M. ; Henry Rolfe, four, — Nathaniel, Timoth)-, 
Henry, Abial ; Nathan Chandler, three, — Abial R., Nathan, Will- 
iam P.; Reuben Johnson, two, — Luther G., John C; Benjamin 
Kimball, one, — John ; Timothy Abbott, one, — Charles. 

The first death among these eighteen sons for fift\^-four )-ears is 
that of Nathan Chandler, who died June 12, 1884, aged sevent}'- 
two years. At this last date the average age of those eighteen 
sons was sixty-six years. 

Of those sons there are living (February 22, 1901), Asa M. 
Gage, aged eighty years and three months; Hon. John Kimball, 
aged seventy-nine years and ten months; Charles Abbott, aged 
seventy-eight years and seven months; Col. Abial Rolfe, aged 
seventy-seven years and eleven months; B. 1^^-ank Gage, aged 
seventy-three years and three months. 

[BV (JKOKCIC F. S.XNIiOKN.] 

The Borough was quite the largest [)art of the village in 1S31 
and for several years afterwards. There were three sawmills and 
a match factory in operation, and lumbering operations were 
quite extensive. Besides the lumber for the local mills there was 



REMINISCENCES. 219 

a considerable teaming business in "carrying by lumber; " that 
is, lumber that came down the river from the towns of Hopkinton, 
Warner, Hillsborough, and others, was taken out of the river 
above the falls of the Contoocook, and carried by the falls on 
teams down to the public landing at the mouth of the Contoocook, 
where it was again put in the water and sent to market at Lowell 
and Boston. This carrying-by business gave employment to ten 
or fifteen teams and a small army of men. 

The Elliott family was the most numerous of the early resi- 
dents. Three brothers, Aaron, Eli, and Jonathan, lived in an old 
house where Geo. E. Elanders now lives; Ezra lived on the next 
farm west, now owned by W. W. Whittier ; Bernard was located at 
the Scales place, below the cemetery at the junction of West Main 
street with the Borough road, where he brought up a family of 
ten children ; David lived at the hollow south of the Squire Fow- 
ler place, and Joseph was nearly opposite on the same road ; 
Eben's house was at the street corner next south of the present 
sawmill, and Theodore had the adjoining farm next west. 

The three brothers who lived together at the Flanders place 
owned a cider mill, which absorbed a large portion of the apple 
crop in that vicinity and furnished liquid refreshment to the in- 
habitants for miles around. One of the sawmills was run by 
Eben Elliott, another by David Elliott's family, and the third by 
the Morrill family. Dea. Benjamin Morrill and his sons — Benja- 
min, Oilman, and Eben — carried on a farm in addition to their 
sawmill business. 

Lieut. Marshall Baker, uncle of Governor Nathaniel B. Baker, 
was a notable man in the Borough. He served in the War of 
18 1 2, and before going into battle at Plattsburg sharpened his 
sword on both edges to make it more effective. He was a very 
powerful man, six feet four inches high, and large and muscular 
(he had one brother six feet nine and one-half inches high). He 
was also at the battle of Chateaugay. He resided in the house 
now occupied by his son-in-law, Cyrus Savory, that house being 
now one of the oldest at the Borough. Lieutenant Baker died 
May 20, 1862, aged seventy-five, and was buried in the Horse 
Hill cemetery, and nothing marks his grave except the small 
flacf and wreath of the G. A. R. There are several other soldiers 



220 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

of the War of 1812 buried in that cemetery, but without head- 
stones. Marshall Baker was noted for profanity, and his wife for 
sincere piety. None of the Baker family are now living, and 
comparatively few of the Elliotts. 

The Morrill family is still represented by Ruel and Henry Mor- 
rill, sons of Oilman, and by Mrs. G. W. Abbott and Mrs. John B. 
Dodge, daughters of Benjamin. 

Capt. Jeremiah Fowler was a leading citizen, attaining the rank 
of captain of the famous Jackson Rifles. He built the match fac- 
tory on the bank of the outlet not far from his residence. The 
old homestead has been occupied in the last generation by his 
son-in-law, John D. Fife, and his family. Mr. Fife was a man of 
more than usual ability and good education ; he was a civil engi- 
neer by profession, and served several years on the construction 
of the Northern Pacific Railroad. 

Dea. Benjamin Hoyt lived on the River road between the 
Borough and Horse Hill. He was a prominent farmer in the first 
half of the century, and when the village had grown enough to 
support churches he became a deacon of the Baptist church on 
its organization, and worthily maintained that oflfice until his 
death. One son and one daughter still reside at the old home- 
stead (1899). 

During the existence of the Jackson Rifle company and as long 
as the old militia laws were in force, Geo. Frank Sanborn was a 
noted bugle player at trainings and musters. When he first came 
to the Borough, under promise of assistance in purchase of a bugle, 
he joined the Jackson Rifle company, but as no help came from 
them he managed to purchase one for which he gave $22.50, and 
then decided to play for any company that would hire him. At 
the next "training day " he was warned to appear in the ranks of 
the Jackson Rifle company, and on his refusal to parade with 
them he was threatened with severe punishment. He, however, 
made engagement to play for another company, and received $12 
for one and a half days' service. During one season of musters 
and trainings he earned $75 with his bugle 

The usual number of musicians hired for a militar\' company 
was but two, a clarinet and bugle player, these being in addition 
to the regular drummers and fifers of the company. 



WOODLAWN CEMETERY ASSOCIATION. 221 

The oldest person ever living in the village was Mrs. Lydia 
Elliott, wife of Joseph Elliott, one of the early settlers at the 
Borough. She was born Jan. 30, 1753, and died June 24, 1856, 
The family came to the Borough in 1778 and lived in a log house 
for many years. 

WOODLAWN CEMETERY ASSOCIATION. 

In the earlier years of Penacook the burials of deceased citizens 
were made at Boscawen, West Concord, or Horse Hill cemeteries. 
About the year 1848 burials were made in a pine grove a little 
south-cast of the present schoolhouse in District No. 20, and that 
was continued as a burial place until VVoodlawn cemetery was laid 
out. At the annual town-meeting of Concord in 1849 an appro- 
priation was made for the purchase of land for a cemetery at Pen- 
acook, and a committee consisting of Henry H. Brown, Nathaniel 
Rolfe, Eldad Tenney, Theodore Elliott, and E. F. Brockway, was 
appointed to lay out the land into cemetery lots. The citizens 
soon cleared a part of the land, and then the remains of those 
buried near the schoolhouse lot were removed to the new 
cemetery. 

The first meeting for organization of the Woodlawn Cemetery 
Association was held on February 28, 1853, at the ofifice of S. M. 
Wheeler, Esq. At this meeting Mr. Wheeler presided, and 
Samuel Merriam acted as clerk. A committee consisting of S. M. 
Wheeler, Rev. Edmund Worth, David A. Brown, Daniel S. Balch, 
and Dana W. Pratt, was appointed to draft a constitution and by- 
laws. This committee was also instructed to present a resolution 
at the next town-meeting in March, authorizing the Woodlawn 
Cemetery Association to take possession of the new cemetery, 
the hearse, and hearse house. That resolution was duly adopted 
at the town meeting of 1853. At a meeting on May 3, 1853, the 
committee reported a draft of constitution and by-laws which were 
adopted, and nineteen names appear to have been affixed to the 
constitution at that date, as follows : 

Henry H. Brown, Nathaniel Rolfe, Edmund Worth, Jason D. Watkins, 

Samuel Merriam, John S. Brown, Abial Rolfe, John A. Coburn, 

Perley Knowles, Dana VV. Pratt, Timothy C. Rolfe, Rodney Button, 

Henry H. Amsden, Jere. S. Dur^^in, John Batchelder, Samuel F. Brown. 

David A. Brown. Moses H. Fifield, Jacob P. Sanders, 



222 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. . 

Of these original members but three are still living at this date 
(September, 1900), — John S. Brown, Moses 11. Fifield, and Col. 
Abial Rolfe. 

The first board of oflficers of the association consisted of: 
President, Henry H. Brown; vice-president, Nathaniel Rolfe; 
secretary and treasurer, Samuel Merriam : executive committee, 
D. W. Pratt, J. P. Sanders, and John Batchelder; sexton, Jason 
D. Watkins. The choice of lots was sold at auction on May 9, 
1853, to the citizens of the Concord side of the village, and the 
executive committee fixed the prices for lots sold to persons not 
residents of Concord. The prices were first fixed at $3, $4, and 
$5 each, according to location. The lots sold at these prices did 
not produce sufficient income, so the Association voted in May, 
1855, to circulate a subscription paper to raise funds for the 
improvement of the cemetery, and $100 was raised at that time. 
John D. Fife was employed to survey the cemetery, which he did 
on June 2. The fees of the sexton were first fixed at $1.50 for 
each burial in summer, and $2 in the winter; this included dig- 
ging the grave and attendance with the hearse. In 1856 another 
call was made for subscriptions to defray expenses. At the an- 
nual meeting in May, 1857, a committee was appointed to set out 
trees and trim up the shrubbery. Two years later another com- 
mittee was appointed for the same purpose. 

In September, 1861, the association employed George S. Mor- 
rill to lay out lots and make a plan of the same. In 1862 the 
association applied to the city for funds to defray the expense of a 
new fence. In 1863 the executive committee voted that certifi- 
cates of ownership be issued to those persons who had paid for 
lots. In that same year the sexton's fees were raised to $2.75 for 
burials in summer, and $3.25 in winter. As early as 1868 the 
association appointed H. H. Amsdcn and H. H. Brown as a com- 
mittee to see about purchasing more land, and securing from the 
city an appropriation to pay for the same. 

Another new fence was needed in 1870, and the association 
appointed H. H. Brown and James I. Tucker to secure an appro- 
priation for that. 

The funds of the association received from the sale of lots had 
increased gradually until 1872, when the amount on hand was 



WOODLAWN CEMETERY ASSOCIATION. 223 

$384.65, and the association directed the treasurer to deposit the 
money in the savings bank so as to secure some interest on the 
bahance on hand. 

In 1873 John S. Brown was appointed to negotiate for more 
Land. The treasurer's report in May, 1874, showed a balance of 
$692.66 cash on hand. At this time Col. Abial Rolfc was ap- 
pointed to negotiate for more land. A new fence was built on the 
west side of the cemetery. The subject of a soldiers' monimient 
was discussed at the annual meeting and plans presented, but 
after consultation it was decided to take no action in the matter 
until a public meeting could be held to ascertain if the public 
would join in the mo\'ement. The records do not give any fur- 
ther information in regard to a soldiers' monument, but a sub- 
scription was started for that object, and $100 was given by 
Charles H. Amsden, also $25 by E. S. Harris, and a few small 
sums by others, and the matter was then dropped. The money 
was deposited in the bank, and in 1896 the $100 contributed by 
Mr. Amsden was applied to the purchase of an elegant Memorial 
Book for W. I. Brown Post 31, G. A. R., which book, containing 
a record of each soldier who went from the village to join the 
Army of the Union in 1 861— '65, was deposited in the state library 
at Concord, and is, perhaps, as good a soldiers' monument as 
could be made. In 1876 the committee on procuring more land 
reported that they had had an offer of fourteen acres of land from 
John G. W'arren for $600, also one acre from M. H. Fifield, and 
one from Andrew Keenan for $400. These offers were not 
accepted, but the committee was continued for further investi- 
gation. 

The treasurer's report, in May, 1877, showed cash on hand 
$713.02, and the association voted to build a tomb; that was 
done at a cost of $614.09 by Charles H. Amsden, Charles C. 
Bean, and John S. Brown, committee. 

The matter of procuring more land was brought up at each 
annual meeting of 1878, 1879, 1880, and at the annual meeting 
of 1 88 1 the secretary was authorized to act with the mayor and 
aldermen on the matter. 

The mayor, George A. Cummings, was present at the meeting 
of the executive committee in May, 1882, to advise in regard to 



224 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

procuring land for the extension of the cemetery, and John S. 
Brown, C. H. Amsden, and John C. Linehan were appointed to 
get the prices at which adjoining land on the south side of the 
cemetery could be purchased. At a subsequent meeting the 
committee reported that they could get seven acres of land from 
David Marsh at $200 per acre, also one and one half acres of 
Andrew Keenan for $400. It was decided to purchase one and 
one half acres of each, but before the trade was consummated Mr. 
Keenan notified the committee that he could sell only one and 
one quarter acres for the $400. That caused a halt in the busi- 
ness, and the committee then looked elsewhere for land. They 
were offered land by Asa Emery on the west side of Main street 
just south of Willow Hollow at $40 per acre; also land of Moses 
Humphrey on the east side of the street just south of Willow 
Hollow at $15 per acre, and it was decided to locate the new 
cemetery on the Humphrey land. In September, 1882, the city 
purchased about fifty acres of land of Moses Humphrey and 
Eugene Moore, paying $700 for the same. The matter of laying 
out lots in the new cemetery was left in the hands of C. H. Ams- 
den, Abial Rolfe, and J. C. Linehan. The location of the new 
cemetery was not considered desirable by all, and the committee 
did nothing about clearing the land for use as a cemetery. At 
the annual meeting in 1884 the committee reported that arrange- 
ments had been made satisfactory to the mayor whereb}' the land 
purchased by the city south of Willow Hollow would be disposed 
of, and that the association could have the land adjoining the 
cemetery formerly owned by David Marsh, and the one and one 
half acres from Andrew Keenan, for $1,050, and Charles H. 
Amsden was authorized to complete the purchase. By request of 
Hon. J. C. Linehan a portion of the new land at the southern side 
of the field was set apart for the use of the Catholic congregation 
and deeded to the bishop of the diocese in trust. The executive 
committee erected a fence around the new part, and during the 
following year began setting out trees, as the new land was with- 
out trees or shrubbery. 

In 1888 the association arranged for a supply of water from the 
city mains, carrying the pipes to both old and new parts of the 
cemetery. In 1889 the entire charge of the cemetery was placed 



WOODLAWN CEMETERY ASSOCIATIOxV. 225 

in the hands of the sexton, but it was not until 1896 that the 
sexton was given a salary; then it was made $10 per year. In 
this year the committee instructed the sexton to have the 
speakers' stand repaired ; this stand was formerly a band stand 
in Washington square, built by subscription of the citizens ; after 
the dissolution of Brown's band in 1878 the stand was removed to 
the cemetery for use on Memorial days. 

The first record of funds being received in trust by the associa- 
tion to pay for the care of lots was June 6, 1896, — $100 paid by 
Mrs. Mary Herbert for care of Lot No. 83 ; also $100 on same 
date paid by Mrs. Maria E. Martin for care of Lot No. 293 ; also, 
in September, 1897, Miss Bethia Drown paid the same amount 
for care of Lot No. 54. 

In 1898 another block of lots was laid out in the new part of 
the cemetery. An effort was made at this date to have owners 
of neglected lots either put them in better order or pay the asso- 
ciation for taking care of them, which resulted in an improved 
appearance of the grounds. In 1899 the tomb was partially 
rebuilt, making a wider entrance and an easier descent from the 
sidewalk; the work was carried out by D. Arthur Brown, C. H. 
Sanders, and W. W. Allen as committee. Additional water pipes 
were put in this year under the direction of D. Arthur Brown and 
W. W. Allen. 

During the forty-eight years of the existence of this association, 
there have been but eight presidents. Henry H. Brown served 
in that office nine years ; Nathaniel Rolfe, one year; Henry H. 
Amsden, seven years; Jacob B. Rand, four years; Moses H. 
Bean, eight years; John S. Brown, ten years; Charles H. Ams- 
den, three years; and Charles H. Sanders, the present president, 
six years. Only four persons have held the office of secretar}' 
and treasurer. Samuel Merriam served for eleven years; John S. 
Brown, fourteen years; John C. Linehan, nine years; and 
William W. Allen, the present incumbent, fourteen years. 

In the list of sextons only five names appear; Jason D. Wat- 
kins served during the first two j-ears ; then John A. Coburn, 
who was elected in 1855, served continuously, with the exception 
of one year, until 1888, thirty-two years in all. The one year 
that he was not elected was i860, when Andrew A. Dow had the 
16 



2 26 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

place. After Mr. Coburn, the next sexton was Oliver J. Fifield, 
who served two years. In 1890 William \V. Allen was elected 
sexton, and is now serving his eleventh year. 

Of late years much more labor has been laid out by the citizens 
to keep their lots in good order, making a decided improvement 
in the appearance of the cemetery. This renewed interest has 
been brought about, at least in part, by the yearly decoration of 
graves by the G. A. R. post on Memorial day; it being now a 
very general practice for the owners of lots to lay out work in 
putting them in presentable order just before Memorial day and 
placing flowers at the graves on that occasion. The whole num- 
ber of names signed to the constitution is 68, and the present 
membership stands at 27. 

JACKSON RIFLE COMPANY. 

The Jackson Rifle company was the most notable military 
organization of this section during the last seventy-five years. 
It was formed in 1828 or 1829, and was a semi-political com- 
pany, as the members were all, or nearly all, Democrats, and it 
was said that no Federal need apply for admission. The centre 
of the population was then at the Borough end of the village, and 
most of the members lived in that neighborhood, so the company 
was often called the Borough Rifle company. The first ofificers 
were: Captain, Sherburn W. Elliott ; lieutenant, Jeremiah Fowler; 
ensign, Eben Elliott. In 1835 Capt. Nathaniel Rolfe was the 
commander, having Benjamin Speed for his lieutenant and 
Rufus D. Scales for ensign. 

The company was uniformed with fine green cloth coat and 
pants, and with round top leather caps having very large visors. 
The coats and caps were liberally ornamented with round silver 
buttons, and the whole uniform cost $50 each; a rather extrav- 
agant outlay for those times. Probably no military company 
since that day, except the " Governor's Horse Guards," has been 
so finely uniformed. This company was attached to the Eleventh 
Regiment of the state militia, and drew their rifles as well as their 
drums and fifes, from the state. 

There were three stated occasions each year on which the com- 
pany was required by law to turn out for military duty — those 



FISHERVILLE LIGHT INFAXTRY. 22/ 

were the May Training, Fall Training, and Muster — on which 
occasions the state paid the men twenty-five cents each day to 
pay for their dinners, and six cents each to pay for grog, prohib- 
itory laws being then unknown. The Jackson Rifle company 
usually made arrangements for dinner, on Muster days, at the 
nearest tavern, at a cost two or three times as much as the state 
allowance, and possibly some of the members exceeded the 
allowance for grog. 

The company continued in existence some sixteen years, being 
finally disbanded in 1845, its last commander being Capt. John 
Sawyer. 

Other commanders of this famous company were Jeremiah 
Fowler, Timothy Dow, Elbridgc Dimond, Albert G. Dow, Sher- 
man D. Colby, Rufus D. Scales, Benj. F. Spead, John A. Moore, 
Nathan Moore. 

FISHERVILLE LIGHT INFANTRY. 

The Fisherville Light Infantry company, or as it was commonly 
called, the Fisherville Guards, was organized in 1850, and was 
attached to the 12th Regiment of the New Hampshire Militia 
The first commissioned ofificers were : Captain, Alexander McPher- 
son ; 1st lieutenant, Geo. D. Abbott; 2d lieutenant, S. D. Hub- 
bard. Owing to dissatisfaction with the management, McPherson 
held the office of captain but a few months, then the other officers 
were advanced in grade, and a new man named Colby was chosen 
2d lieutenant. This company was uniformed with blue dress 
coats, tall, stiff blue hats ornamented with white cord, white pants, 
leather belts, knapsacks, canteens, muskets of the old flint-lock 
style, and when on parade made a grand and imposing spectacle 
for the youth of that day. Soon after the organization of this 
company the ladies of the village purchased a fine silk flag, and 
had a public presentation at Washington square on a fine summer 
da)'. The company was lined up in front of the hotel, with most 
of the citizens crowding about them. Mrs. A. B. Winn, standing 
on the piazza of the hotel, made an eloquent and patriotic speech, 
and then delivered the flag into the hands of Col. Abial Rolfe, who 
made the speech of acceptance for the company in a style worthy 
of the occasion, and for which he received the applause of the 



228 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

listening spectators, especially of the bo}'s who had climbed up in 
the oilnut tree which then stood directly in front of the hotel about 
two rods from the front door steps. 

This company was maintained only two or three years, as the 
change in the militia laws of the state caused it to disband. The 
last muster which this company attended was at Hooksett, and at 
that time the state paid the men $1.50 per day for services, and 
gave them an extra half dollar to pay for a dinner. Probably 
there are very few of the members still in the village, but one is 
still living, apparently strong and hearty as ever — Hazen Knowl- 
ton, Esq. — who has furnished some of the statistics for this article. 

SMYTHE GUARDS. 
[CONTRIBUTED BY HON. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

The military organization known as the " Smythe Guards " was 
formed in April, 1866, one year after the close of the Civil War. 
The rank and file numbered fifty men. The members were in the 
main of Irish birth or parentage, and the majority had seen service 
in the Civil War. The officers were as follows: Captain, Charles 
Reilly ; ist lieutenant, John C. Linehan ; 2d lieutenant, Frank 
Spearman; ist sergeant, William Mahcr. 

Reilly had served in Company A, Fifth Regiment N. H. Vols., 
from September 26, 1861, to October 29, 1864, three years and 
one month, and at his discharge was a corporal. He was wounded 
at Cold Harbor on June 4, 1864. 

Linehan had served as a musician in the band of the Third 
N. H. Vols., from August 15, 1861, to August 31, 1862, one year 
and sixteen days. ' 

Spearman's service was in the Third Artillery, U. S. Regulars, 
Company L, from May 21, 1861, to May 21, 1864, three years. 
He was a corporal when mustered out. 

Maher served in Company E, Seventh N. H. Vols., from Octo- 
ber 21, 1 86 1, to July 20, 1865, the end of the war, three years and 
nine months. He was a corporal when discharged. 

The company was mustered into the state service on May 8, 
1866, and the officers commissioned on the same date. 

It was disbanded May i, 1868, b}' order of the governor, and 
the ofificcrs honorably discharged. The cause was the impossi- 



boys' military companies. 229 

bility of maintaining the number required by law, many of the men 
having removed elsewhere. 

William Maher was second lieutenant when the company was 
disbanded. Rev. Timothy P. Linehan, now of Biddeford, Me., was 
a corporal in this company. The nucleus of the company was the 
local Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish revolutionary organization, at 
that time extending all over the United States, and whose head 
centre in March, 1865, was Gen. Thomas A. Smyth, of Dela- 
ware, who was the last general officer of the Union army to lose 
his life in action. Capt. Cornelius Healy, of the Eighth New 
Hampshire, who, with others, went to Ireland in the winter of 1865, 
in the hopeless attempt to free their native land, was taken pris- 
oner by the English government. Governor Fred. Smythe of New 
Hampshire actively interested himself in securing his release, and 
as a mark of appreciation the Smythe Guards were organized and 
named in his honor. But one of the commissioned officers was 
living in February, 1901. Reilly died in Penacook, and is buried 
in Woodlawn cemetery. Spearman was accidentally killed in San 
Francisco about twenty years ago. 

boys' military companies. 

About 185 1 or 1852, Capt. William Knowlton, a brother of 
Hazen Knowlton, formed a military compan}- of the bo}'s attend- 
ing school in the white schoolhouse of District No. 20. Knowl- 
ton was a quite enthusiastic drill-master, and made the exercises 
interesting for the lads. Saturday afternoons were often spent in 
drilling, marching, etc., on the common, now occupied by the 
homestead of George W. Abbott, and others. The state did not 
at that time furnish arms for school companies, so this company 
had nothing but sticks for guns, but were so well drilled in the 
facing and marching movements that some of those boys had 
little to learn in that line when they went into service in 1861. 

Another company, or two companies, rather, were organized by 
Rev. J. H. Larr\% from the students at his "School of Practice," 
at Penacook academy. These companies were armed with old 
style Springfield muskets, much too heavy for use of many boys, 
but they were ambitious and managed to carry the muskets some- 
how. These companies had some sort of uniform, probably caps 



230 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

and blouses, and the}' became quite efficient in company manoeu- 
vers and the manual of arms, as the organization was continued 
through several terms of the school. 

ITEMS FROM DIARY OF S(^UIRE \VM. H. GAGE. 
[BY COURTESY OF MISS LUCY K. GAGE.] 

1846. August 26. Earthquake this morning about quarter 
before five, a tremendous shock. 

October i. Benj. Morrill's wife died this day; buried October 4. 
Elder John Harriman preached funeral sermon. 

November 19. Patrick Martin killed this morning at 4 o'clock. 
Two others buried, but taken out alive. (Sand bank near flour 
mill.) 

November 27. Engine came up to Captain Rolfe's for the first 
time. (Northern R. R.) 

December i. The engine passed up b}' here (Squire Gage's 
place) about 4 o'clock p. m. for the first time. 

December 25. The passenger cars passed here for the first time, 
having the directors on board ; engine and ten cars went up at 
II :30 a. m., and went clown at 3 :30 p. m. 

December 28. The cars commenced to run regular routes this 
day. 

1847. January 6. Timothy Abbott died at 4 o'clock this after- 
noon. 

January 21. Mrs. Polly Chandler died this evening in the eighty- 
second year of her age. 

February 5. The railroad went off about 150 feet this morning 
at 9 o'clock, at Goodwin's point. (Probably high water.) 

July 18. Dea. David Brown died at noon this day. 

November 17. The cars went to Lebanon for the first time 
to-day. 

1848. January 17. Bought a farrow cow for $13, also a ram 
for $6.25. 

February i. Good fat oxen sold for 6i cents per pound. 
March 10. Gen. Sam. Houston of Texas was in Concord this 
day. 

May 4. Robert Hall killed in match factory at the Borough. 
June 27. Barrel of flour cost $7.50. 



DIARY OF WILLIAM H. GA(!E. 23 1 

1848. May I. Elder A. C. Morrison died. 

August 8. The Boston, Concord & INIontreal Railroad opened 
to Meredith (Laconia). 

September 17. Great frost this morning. 

1849. January 14. First reed organ (melodeon) pla}'ed in 
Congregational church, by Prof. A. L. Drew. 

June 26. Sold my wool at two shillings per pound. 

1850. January 15. Riot at Dame's tavern (Washington house) 
this eve. 

Januar\' 16. Whittier, Kimball and Carter were tried for riot- 
ing, and put under bonds. 

April 2. A daughter of Elder Jeremiah Smith drowned in the 
outlet. 

May 21. Bought molasses at 21 cents per gallon. Sugar at 
5i cents per pound. 

June 9. Elder Smith baptized Ruth Jones, and a daughter of 
Benjamin Hoyt. 

July 12. Edmund, youngest son of Dea. David Brown, brought 
home for burial. 

July 25. Rev. Isaac Knight, first Congregational clergyman on 
Boscawen side, died this da}'. 

October 2-3. State fair. Fifteen yoke of oxen in town team 
took first prize, $24.96. 

October 30. Made and put in cellar seventeen barrels of cider. 

November 17. First meeting of Congregational church in 
meeting-house after uniting. 

December 22. Jason Hoyt baptized by Elder Smith. 

185 I. January 8. Samuel Stark returned from California. 

January 14. Samuel Stark died this day. 

March 20. Charlotte Johnson was married to S. D. Hubbard, 
at Lawrence. 

March 22. Hon. Isaac Hill died at Washington, D. C. 

March 27. Hon. Isaac Hill buried at Concord, N. H. 

May 5. Elder Elijah Shaw died this da\\ 

August 13. Great hailstorm. Hailstones fell that measured 
3^ inches in diameter. (This statement has just now [1901] been 
confirmed b}' living witnesses, who were then living in the vicinity 
of Squire Gage.) 



232 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

October 15. Philip Hunt was caught in a belt and carried 
around the shafting at Contoocook mill, and nearly killed, 
October 30. Freight train ran off track against barn. 

1852. January i. Quite a freshet. Marshall Colby killed at 
Mast Yard. 

January 2. Elder Mark Fernald buried. 

February 9. Mrs. Charlotte J. Hubbard died. 

March 16. Reuben Johnson died, aged sixty-three. 

March 21. Stephen Danforth died, aged sixty. 

April 21, 22, 23. Greatest freshet ever known in Contoocook 
river. Foundry washed away. 

July 3. Benjamin T. Kimball died. 

July 5. Hannah Persons Gage died. (Daughter of Calvin 
Gage.) 

August 19. Reuben Goodwin died. Age, seventy-four. 

August 22. Dedication of Methodist church. (Between Merri- 
mac and Summer streets.) 

August 28. Albert Ames thrown from his wagon and killed. 

September 8. John P. Gass died. (Landlord of American 
house. Concord.) 

October 24. Daniel Webster died. Buried October 27. Bell 
tolled at Penacook mill. 

December 2. Sarah Thompson, Countess of Rumford, died. 

1853. January 6. Benjamin Pierce, eleven years old, only son 
of President Franklin Pierce, was killed by the cars at Andover, 
Mass. 

January 31. Lydia I^lliott is one hundred }'ears old to-day. 

February 26. Elizabeth S., wife of John Chandler Gage, died 
this day, age thirty-one. 

May 23. Luther and John Johnson started for the West. 
Samuel Merriam, also. 

June I. Siamese twins exhibited at Concord this day. 

August 9. Phebe, wife of Andrew J. Russ, died. 

October 26. Andrew J. Russ carried his three children to John 
Ellsworth's to live, giving P^llsworth $5 per week and cloth for the 
children's clothes. 

1845. August 2. The dye-house of Maj. Richard Gage burned. 

September 17. Pantheon block raised this day. 



OFFICERS OF WARD ONE. 



233 



The dryest season on record was in 1854; but very little rain 
fell from June 30 to September 8. 

There was a cold snap in 1857; on January 23 the ther- 
mometer went down to 23° below zero ; on the 24th to 24° below ; 
on the 25th to 14° below, and on the 26th to 24° below. 





OFFICERS, WARD ONE. 


Vear. 


A/i/f/wen. 


Coiaic 


1853 


John Batchelder. 


Jeremiah S. Durgin, 


1854 


Henry H. Amsden. 


Rufus D. Scales, 


1855 


Albert H. Drown. 


Robert B. Hoit, 


1856 


Albert H. Drown. 


Robert B. Hoit, 


1857 


David A. Brown. 


Timothy C. Rolfe, 


1858 


David A. Brown. 


Timothy C Rolfe, 


1859 


J. B. Rand. 


Andrew P. Bennett, 


i860 


J. B. Rand. 


Andrew P. Bennett, 


1861 


Samuel Merriam. 


A. A. Eastman, 


1862 


Samuel Merriam. 


Nathaniel Rolfe, 


1863 


John A. Holmes. 


Harvey Chase, 


1864 


John A. Holmes. 


Amos Hoyt, 


1865 


John A. Holmes. 


Amos Hoyt, 


1866 


John A. Holmes. 


Edw. Runnels, 


1867 


Jeremiah S. Durgin. 


Edw. Runnels, 


1868 


David Putnam. 


William H. Bell, 


1S69 


William H. Bell. 


Cephas Fowler, 


1870 


William H. Bell, 


Job S. Davis, 


1871 


John Whitaker. 


Frank A. Abbott, 


1S72 


John S. Brown. 


John C. Linehan, 


1873 


John S. Brown. 


John C. Linehan, 


1874 


Charles H. Amsden. 


Rufus Cass, 


1875 


Charles H. Amsden. 


Rufus Cass, 


1876 


John Whitaker. 


Fred P. Chandler, 


1877 


John C. Linehan, 


Fred P. Chandler, 


1878 


Frank A. Abbott. 
N. S. Gale. 


John Carter, 


1879 


John H. Rolfe. 


John Carter. 


1880 


John Carter. 


Henry Rolfe, 


1883 


-4. J. Edw. Marden. 


John W. Powell. 


1885 


-6. Henry F. Brown. 


David F. Dudley. 


1887 


-8. John H. Rolfe. 


John McNiel. 


1889 


-90. William W. Allen. 


John O'Niel. 


1891- 


-2. John O'Neil. 


Henry T. Foote. 




John B. Dodge. 


Frank P. Robertson. 



Eben F. Elliott. 
Nath. C. Elliott. 
J. B. Rand. 
J. B. Rand. 
Jeremiah F. Runnels. 
Jeremiah F. Runnels. 
Cyrus W. Lincoln. 
Cyrus W. Lincoln. 
Hiram Simpson, 
Nathaniel Rolfe. 
George P. Meserve. 
George P. Meserve. 
Hazen Knowlton. 
Hazen Knowlton. 
Jeremiah S. Durgin. 
Hiram Simpson. 
Cyrus Runnels. 
Cyrus Runnels. 
Cyrus Runnels. 
Daniel G. Holmes. 
Daniel G. Holmes. 
Daniel G. Holmes. 
Daniel G. Holmes. 
Andrew P. Bennett. 
Andrew P. Bennett. 
Edw. Runnels. 
Edw. Runnels. 

Jeremiah Runnels. 
Sherwin P. Colby. 



234 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



y'ear. 




Aldermen. 


1893- 


-4- 


Alfred E. Emery. 
Henry E. Chamberlin. 


1895- 


-6. 


David V. Dudley. 
Eddie C. Durgin. 


1897- 


-8. 


Charles E. Foote. 
Charles H. Sanders. 


1899- 


-00. 


Charles E. Foote. 
Harry G. Rolfe. 


190I- 


-02. 


William W. Allen. 
Harry G. Rolfe. 



CoiDicilmeu. 
Eddie C. Durgin. 
Robert W. Hoit. 
William C. Akcrman. 
John Harris. 
William C. Spicer. 
William Taylor. 
William Taylor. 
Joseph Newsome. 
Henry Rolfe. 
Frank P. Bennett. 




CONTOOCOOK RIVER PARK. 

One of the finest parks in New England, so far as natural fea- 
tures are concerned, is located within the village limits, about one 
mile west of Main street, on the south bank of the Contoocook 
river, at the upper dam. The park is owned by the Concord 
Street Railway Company, and extends over some fifteen acres in 
extent, mostly covered with a grove of pine and hard wood. 
Seats, swings, and the like are placed under the branches of trees 
and along the banks of the river. 

A large pavilion, for dancing, concerts, etc., stands near the 
waterfall, and a few rods back from the river is a fine open-air 
auditorium, with a large stage and dressing-rooms, for theatrical 



236 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK 



entertainments, which are provided for the patrons of the road, 
afternoon and evening, during the summer season. 

There is a cafe located conveniently near the pavilion, and a 
bowling alley at a suitable distance below the auditorium. 





-^ 






" Till-: Lo.MMtJDORE,'' — Hon. John \Vmiit.\ki:r. 

Between the bowling alley and pavilion there is a wide lawn, 
suitable for tennis, baseball, or football. A good supply of pure 
water is provided, and a generous equipment of electric lamps in 

the buildings and all about the grounds. 



PENACOOK IN THE CIVIL WAR. 237 

But perhaps the most attractive feature of the place is the naval 
establishment of Commodore John Whitaker, whose boat-houses 
and wharves are located just above the dam and opposite the 
pavilion. To Commodore Whitaker belongs the honor of build- 
ing and managing the first steamboat ever sailed on the Contoo- 
cook river. His steamer, the Modena, is a fine boat, accommo- 
dating two hundred passengers, and makes regular trips during 
the summer season up the river some six miles or more, a most 
delightful ride either by day or by moonlight. The Commodore 
has also several steamboats suitable for small parties, and row- 
boats and canoes for all patrons. The park and the steamer on 
the river make a very attractive combination, and thousands of 
visitors from Penacook, Concord, and surrounding towns are enter- 
tained there during the summer season. 

PENACOOK IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

[WRITTEN r.Y JOHN C. LINEHAN.] 
Copyright, 1899. 

When the call for 75,000 volunteers was made in April, 1861, 
it met with a prompt response in Penacook. From the time of 
the firing on the Sla?- of the West, the village had been in a blaze 
of patriotic excitement. It was intensified by the attack on Fort 
Sumter. It was a common sight in those days, before hostilities 
actually commenced, to see the men in one shop, seized with a 
sudden impulse, stop working, and led by some of their fellows 
under the folds of the stars and stripes, march to each shop in the 
village in turn with the effect that all joined in a glorification for 
the Union. War meetings were also a marked feature of the 
period. 

On the organization of the first three months regiment, so 
numerous were the volunteers that but few of those desiring to 
enlist were taken. Among those who did go were Curtis Flanders, 
Michael Grif!in, Stephen Cooney, and others whose names cannot 
now be recalled, all of whom reenlisted later. To the boys and 
girls not arrived at the age of reason, the few weeks preceding 
their departure in Concord seemed like a grand picnic or a gen- 
eral holiday, the bo}'S appearing in the streets in uniform and 



238 HISTORY OF TEXACOOK. 

their best girls on their arm, for very few of them were married, 
and neither they nor their relatives dreamed of the hardships and 
privations in store for them. When the first regiment marched 
from the old camp ground on the plains to the railroad station in 
the early spring of that year, it was escorted by the Governor's 
Horse Guards, headed by the Fisherville Cornet Band, D. Arthur 
Brown, leader. Both Guards and band were mounted. It was a 
perfect ovation from the camp to the depot, the street being lined 
with thousands of people from all over the state. 

It had barely left before the organization of the second regiment 
began in Portsmouth. One of its first captains was Leonard 
Drown, at one time foreman of the Pioneer Engine compan}-. 
The men were enlisted for three years. When orders were given 
to march to the front, the following Penacook men were enrolled 
in its ranks: Leonard Drown, Isaac N. Vesper, Abner F. Durgin, 
Hiram F. Durgin, John Muzzey, George Damon, William Healey, 
Joseph H. Wilkinson, Joseph C. Swett, James Thompson, Daniel 
Desmond, Nicholas Duffy, Philip C. Eastman, and Hiram S. Good- 
win. 

The weeks and months rolled by. There had been some fight- 
ing in the West and in West Virginia, but with little bloodshed. 
Up to July following, the only engagement bringing war home to 
the New England people was that at Ball's Bluff in which no New 
Hampshire troops were engaged. 

Even later in that month, when the news of the humiliating- 
defeat at ]3ull Run brought shame and sorrow to the Union cause, 
it was the occasion of no mourning in Penacook. One man, how- 
ever, who had lived there for several years and during his stay 
was in the employ of Rolfc Bros., was killed. His name was John 
Savage, a native of Ireland. On the first call for troops, he went 
to New York and enlisted in the 69th regiment under Colonel 
Corcoran. He had no relatives in the \illagc. The call for the 
first 300,000 followed this, the first pitched battle of the war, and 
from the first of August to December following, the third, fourth, 
fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth regiments were organized and 
were nearly all at the front before the first of January, 1862. 

When the roll was called on their departure, the following Pen- 
acook boys responded to their names in the regiments mentioned : 



PENACOOK IN THE CIVIL WAR. 239 

Third — Henry H. Aycr, Stephen Cooney, John K. Flanders, 
Walter Roby, Adna S. Currier, James M. Chase, Joel A. Cushon, 
Joseph H. Currier, Fred H, Favor, Edwin Farrand, Hiram Gage, 
William H. H. Gage, Thomas Minnehan, Martin Spellman, Jere- 
miah Sheehan, D. Arthur Brown, Henry F. Brown, Samuel F. 
Brown, Geo. E. Flanders, Carl Krebs, John C. Linchan, William 
W. Flanders, Jason R. C. Hoyt, John C. Mitchell, and John Cur- 
ran. Fourth — Samuel H. Runnells, Michael Cuddy, William 
Brannan. Fifth — Francis Keenan, Lucius Feeney, Samuel Wooley, 
Roland Taylor, Daniel Gibson, Walter W. Eastman, Orvis T. 
Blinn, Patrick Brannon, Calvin P. Couch, Nathan C. Danforth, 
Luther C. Copp, Sylvanus Danforth, Edwin C. Gilmore, Thomas 
Gahagan, Anthony Gahagan, Albert Hunt, Benjamin F. Morse, 
Charles Riley, and Bernard Thornton. Sixth — Curtis Flanders 
and Andrew J. Simonds. Seventh — J. S. Durgin, Rev. J. C. Em- 
erson, Robert Burt, Charles D. Wallace, Charles D. Rowell, Jonas 
Foster, George A. Hoyt, Joseph S. Hoyt, Robert O. Farrand, 
Oliver B. Abbott, Fisher Ames, James Chadwick, Samuel Chan- 
dler, Lyman Cheney, William Duckworth, Edson A. Eastman, 
Lucien O. Holmes, David E. Jones, Daniel W. Martin, Thomas 
Sawyer, Geo. W. Gilman, James Hatton, Samuel W. Holt, Peter 
Howarth, Wm. S. Roach, Samuel McElroy, Samuel Cheney, Wm. 
S. Hutchinson, Wm. R. Wadleigh, Geo. M. Whidden, Joseph 
Farrand, Alexander Stevens, Ebenezer Daggett, John Clancey, 
Richard Nolan, Thomas Healey, Daniel Jones, John Maher, 
William Maher, J. K. Brickett, Matthew Wooley, Lorenzo Con- 
nor, Daniel Abbott, Jefferson Searles, Patrick Gahagan, Free- 
man Ferrin, John Price, L. S. Raymond, Joseph Morrill, Sclwyn 
Reed, S. P. Reed, and J. M. Dwinell. Eighth— Michael Grififin, 
James Martin, James Martin, Jr., and Michael Martin. In addition 
to those, Hubert McEvilley, Tenth Vt. ; Moses Jones, Fourteenth 
Regulars; William Simpson, Seventy-ninth Highlanders, N. Y. ; 
Cyrus Holmes, First Massachusetts Cavalry ; Capt. Nathaniel French , 
Thirtieth Massachusetts; Francis Spearman, Third U. S. Artillery; 
John Meahla, Seventh R. L ; Alfred Preston, New York P^ire 
Zouaves, and James and Owen Maguire in a New York regiment. 
George W. Abbott went out as a recruit for the Seventh in 1862, 
Loveland W. French for the Third in 1864. Among those who 



240 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

served in the navy and who enHsted during the same period or 
later were James C. Bowen, James Gahagan, Thomas Brannon, 
Philip Hackett, Charles Moulton, James Gar\-ey, George Brown, 
C. W. Eastman, Asa Emery, Peter O. Shepard, R. J. Morrill, and 
James Ouigley. 

The absence of so many from Penacook could not, of course, 
help being noticeable. A \-oung girl in the village wrote her 
brother, who was at the front in the winter of i86i, that every 
day was like Sunday and the streets were as quiet as a graveyard, 
so many of the boys had enlisted. There were natural!}' many 
anxious hearts. The post-ofTice, as well as the periodical store, 
was crowded on the arrival of every train and every mail. 

Among those at the front, however, the situation was different. 
The Fifth, Second, and Sixth were enjo}-ing themselves in Vir- 
ginia, with perhaps little thought of the campaign beginning in 
the early spring following. The Third and Fourth, after a haz- 
ardous and tempestuous voyage with the Sherman expedition, 
had arrived safely at Port Royal, and on Thanksgiving of that 
year the members of both regiments enjoyed an old-fashioned 
New England celebration in the camp of the Third. A little later 
the Seventh was on its way to Fort Jefferson, Fla., and the Eighth 
meandering through the West India Islands on its journey to take 
part in the capture of New Orleans. "All quiet on the Potomac " 
was the signal through the winter of 1861—62. 

The early spring brought a change, when the second move- 
ment against Richmond began under command of McClellan. 
Before this, however, Curtis Flanders of the Sixth had been killed 
on April 19, 1862, at Camden, N. C, the first in his regiment to 
meet his death in action, and the second from Penacook, furnish- 
ing the occasion for mourning for the first time in the village 
since the war began. This was quickly followed b}' that of 
Captain Drown of the Second, who fell at Williamsburg on May 
5, 1862, being the first commissioned officer killed from New 
Hampshire. His body was returned to Penacook, and his funeral 
was one of the noted events occurring here during the war. 

The seven days' fighting, June, 1862, followed, and here 
George Damon, Thomas Ward, and Francis Keenan were killed; 
W. W' . Eastman, captured ; and several of the village boys severely 



PENACOOK IN THE CIVIL WAR. 24 1 

wounded, among them Charles P. Shepard, who was shot through 
the stomach. His recovery was a wonder. There was then a 
respite, but a month later, at the second Bull Run, John Muzzey 
and Hiram F. Durgin died a soldier's death, being killed in 
action. 

Meantime, while all this was taking place in Virginia, the Third 
had its first experience in action down in South Carolina, par- 
ticipating in the battle of Secessionville, June 16, 1862, in the 
first campaign against Charleston. None was killed, but Ste- 
phen Cooney and Fred H. Favor were severely wounded. A little 
later at Antietam, in September of the same year, B. F. Morse 
lost a leg. 

Although New Hampshire regiments participated in the bloody 
battle of Gettysburg and in the engagements taking place in 
South Carolina and Louisiana, there was no serious loss of life 
among those in the regiments from Penacook. Two in the Fifth, 
however, Lucius P'eeny and Roland Ta\-lor, were killed at Gettys- 
burg, and Nicholas Duffy was captured. 

It was a common sight now to see on the street mothers, wives, 
sisters, or daughters wearing mourning in memory of those who 
fell. Many were anxiously praying for the war to cease, for to 
them the song, " When this Cruel War is Over," meant some- 
thing. It was to continue, however, nearly three long, weary 
years more, and in order to bring it to a successful termination, 
there was another call after the McClellan campaign for 300,000 
more volunteers. 

The response to this was the formation of the Ninth, Tenth, 
Eleventh. Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth regiments for three 
years, and the Fifteenth and Sixteenth for nine months. Previous 
to this time, however, Henry Pearson, Henry A. Flint, W'illiam 
H. Caldwell, and Horace C. Danforth had enlisted in the New 
Hampshire battalion of the I'irst Rhode Island Cavalry, and Isaac 
Davis, John H. Gilman, E. R. Manning, Benjamin Morrison, 
Joseph H. Rolfe, Joseph E. Sanders, Charles P. Shepard, James 
F. T}'ler, Thomas Ward, and George Scales in the Mrst regiment 
U. S. Sharpshooters, and Robert Crowther in the First New 
Hampshire Light Battery. 

In response to this call the following enrolled themselves in the 
17 



242 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

several regiments: Ninth — William I. Brown, Patrick Clancey, 
George \V. Gage, John H. Brown, Patrick McOuade, and William 
Kidder; Twelfth — C. S. Emery, E. C. Jameson, Charles K. 
Manning, and Ross C. Goodwin ; Tenth — Albert Clough and 
Edgar Roberts ; Thirteenth — Nathan Hardy ; p-ourteenth — 
William H. Moody; Fifteenth — Moody J. Boyce ; Sixteenth — 
Albert H. Drown, David D. Smith, Samuel N. Brown, George H. 
Cushon, Joel A. Cushon, Hall F. Elliott, John H. Elliott, Alfred 
Elliott, Hanson D. Emerson, Asa Emery, George B. Elliott, 
Isaac C. Evans, Peter O. Shepard, and John Heath. 

All were at the front before the winter of 1862-63. The 
Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth were attached 
to the Army of the Potomac, except that the Ninth and Four- 
teenth were separated from it for a short period. The P^ifteenth 
and Sixteenth were assigned to the Department of the Gulf. 

Although few lost their lives by the bullet up to the summer of 
1863, some of them succumbed to disease. Among them were 
John K. Flanders, Walter Roby, William Healey, James K. 
Brickett, and Samuel and Matthew Wooley. The year was not 
to pass, however, without a large increase of mourning on account 
of those killed in action, for during this period occurred the terri- 
ble charge on Wagner in the second attack on Charleston, in 
which the Seventh, led by its gallant colonel, lost so many men. 
Among them were the following from Penacook : George M. 
Whidden, Alexander Stevens, Ebenezer Daggett, John Clancey, 
Richard Nolan, Daniel Jones, Lorenzo Connor, Freeman Ferrin, 
L. S. Raymond, and Joseph Morrill. Captain Ayer of the Third 
was severely wounded in the same engagement but remained with 
the regiment. 

George W. Gage of the Ninth was killed by the explosion of a 
locomotive at Bolivar, Ky., in the same year, and away on the 
banks of the far-off Mississippi, James Martin, Jr., of the Eighth, 
was killed in the attack on Port Hudson. Moses Jones of the 
Regulars and William Simpson of the Seventy-ninth Highlanders 
were killed, and Cyrus Holmes and Capt. Nathaniel French died 
of disease. 

Meanwhile the Sixteenth suffered terribly from disease in 
Louisiana, owing to the malarial character of the district in which 



PEXACOOK IN THE CIVIL WAR. 243 

it was located. It left New Hampshire in September, 1862, with 
914 men, and returned nine months later without being in a single 
engagement and leaving behind 213, who died of disease. 
Among them were several from Penacook : Louis and James C. 
Elliott and Hall Elliott; his son, John H. Elliott, died immedi- 
ately on his return. 

People mourning over the privations of the soldiers in the late 
Spanish-American war ought to look on and ponder over those 
figures. 

So the weeks, the months, and the years rolled by. The num- 
ber of weary hearts increased. Fathers, mothers, sisters, sons, 
brothers, relatives, and friends went to rest every night waiting 
impatiently for the morn and fearing to read the day's news on 
account of what it might possibly bring them. The years 1863 
and 1864 went by with the awful campaigns of Chancellorsville 
and the Wilderness, but fortunately with no additional loss to 
Penacook in those two engagements. 

The spring of 1865, for the first time, brought hope to the 
anxious ones at home as well as encouragement to the friends of 
the Union, for it was clearly apparent that the war was about 
over. It was not to end, however, without additional sacrifices 
being made by the residents of Penacook. Stephen Coone}' of 
the Third was killed at Drury's Bluff in May, 1864. Joseph 
Farrand, Thomas Healey, Daniel Abbott, and Jefferson Searles of 
the Seventh fell at Olustee, and in the same engagement Robert 
Farrand received the wound that rendered him sightless for life 
and left him a prisoner in the hands of the enemy and for a time 
a denizen of the horrible prison pen at Andersonx'ille. Samuel 
Reed and John Price died of disease, and later S. P. Reed and 
J. M. Dwinell fell at Laurel Hill. 

Capt. Henry H. Ayer, after being wounded severely twice, met 
his death, sword in hand, on May 16, 1864, at Drury's Bluff; 
and at Cold Harbor on the month following, Lieut. Charles S. 
Emery was mortally wounded and Luke Garvey and Reuben East- 
man killed. The two latter were drafted in August, 1863, and were 
the only ones in Penacook of that class obliged to go to the front. 

Two more regiments were raised in the fall of 1864, and with 
a full knowledge of what was before them the following enlisted 



244 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

therein: Eighteenth — J. Scott Durgin, Samuel N. Brown, WiUiam 
E. Jameson, James M. Shepard, George H. Gleason, Frank Ste- 
vens, William Barnett, Nathaniel E. Baker, Frank S. Hunt, 
Nathaniel O. Kimball, and William F. Wallace. William I. 
Brown, who was adjutant of the Ninth regiment, was appointed 
major of this. First Heavy Artillery — Henry J. Brackett, Horace 
Clough, Mark Chase, Fred W. Durgin, William H. French, War- 
ren D. Morrill, Lawrence Jimray, Joseph Jimray, George Marsh, 
Leroy Swett, Hiram J. Morrill, Moses E. Haynes, Charles P. 
Haynes, Robert Lloyd. Lorenzo M. Currier enlisted in the 
Post band stationed at Port Royal in 1862, remaining there until 
the end of the war. David A. Brown was in the same band. 

The war ended early in April, 1865, but it was not to close 
without more Penacook blood being shed. Hubert McEvilley of 
the Tenth Vermont was killed on March 25, 1865, and Maj. 
William L Brown fell four days later at Fort Steadman, Peters- 
burg, the two last of Penacook's volunteers to lose their lives in 
the war for the Union. Captain Drown was the first and Maj. 
William L Brown was the last commissioned officer from New 
Hampshire to be killed in the great contest, and what is left of 
their mortal remains lies in .Woodlawn cemetery in Penacook. 

Among those of the foregoing who held commissions were 
Majors J. S. Durgin and W. L Brown; Captains Leonard Drown, 
Henry H. Ayer, Nathaniel French, and J. C. Emerson; Lieuten- 
ants Abner F. Durgin, Isaac N. Vesper, Joseph H. Wilkinson, 
Robert l^urt, Charles B. Wallace, True W. Arlin, Charles S. 
Emery, A. H. Drown, and Isaac Davis. Col. William P. Chand- 
ler, who commanded an Illinois regiment, and led it at Mission 
Ridge, was born in Penacook and was a brother of the late 
Nathan Chandler. 

At last it was over, and when the news reached Penacook on 
that April morning, 1865, that Lee's army had surrendered, the 
village went wild. The shops and mills shut down, and all the 
people, old and young, united in celebrating the event. The 
bells of both churches and mills were rung nearly all day. 
A piece of artillery was dragged up on Sanders hill, and salute 
after salute was fired in honor of the great victory. It was a day 
long to be remembered by those who participated in it. 



PENACOOK IN THE CIVIL WAR. 245 

Now that peace was restored, the people of Penacook reahzed 
the sacrifices made by their fellow-citizens during the four long 
years of battle. Between April,, 186 1, and April, 1865, about 220 
men had enlisted from Penacook, serving either in the army or 
navy. Fifty-four of this number never came back, being killed in 
action or dying of wounds or disease. Nearly three fourths of 
them met their death or the cause of it from bullet or shell on the 
battle-field. No attempt has been made here to gi\'e the full 
details or to be accurate in the description of this patriotic episode 
in the history of the village. It is not necessary. It was done 
before, and the record of the men, a portion of whose names only 
appear here, has been written in the Memorial volume presented 
to our Grand Army Post by the Hon. Charles H. Amsden. For 
safe keeping it has been placed in the state library in Concord. 
Fifty years hence it will be appreciated by the children of the men 
whose names are written therein, and as well by every lover of the 
Union which they helped to save. 

Lecky, in his history of England in the i8th century, credits 
the men of '61 with more true patriotism than the men of '']6. 
How true this statement may be is not necessary to investigate, 
but the record made by the men of Penacook proves that in 
loyalty to the government they were behind none others during 
cither of the two periods. As has been stated, but two drafted 
men went to the front. There were a few substitutes, perhaps 
of the class known as bounty jumpers, but they are not included 
among the foregoing. If there were an)', their numbers were not 
worth mentioning, for those who volunteered in response to each 
call very nearly filled the quotas. This patriotic spirit was not 
confined to any particular class, but permeated all. The sons of 
some of the \'ery best to do people in the x'illage were among the 
first to enlist, and this statement will hold good of those who went 
to the front in the last as well as the first regiments. Samuel F. 
Brown, Charles D. Rowell, B. Y . Morse, W. W. Eastman, and 
George E. Flanders were overseers in the different departments of 
the mills. H. H. Brown and his brother John had each two sons 
in the service and two brothers. Capt. Nathaniel Rolfe and B. F, 
Caldwell, the manager of the cabinet shop, each had a son in the 
service, so that it can be truthfully said that all in Penacook, em- 



246 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



ployers and employees, had a common interest and took the same 
part in the great contest which saved the Union. With a record 
hke this the people of Penacook can well feel proud of their boys 
of 1 86 1. The nationality of those named were as follows: Of 
Scotch parentage, 2 ; French Canadian, 3 ; English, 15; Irish, 
45 ; American, 152. 



PENACOOK IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. 

[WRITTEN BY JOHN C. LIXEHAN.] 
Copyright, 1899. 

But one regiment was called for by the gov^ernment to form 
part of the army acting in Cuba or elsewhere during the Spanish- 
American War. 

When the First New Hampshire Volunteers left Concord for 
the front on May 17, 1898, the following Penacook boys were 
enrolled in the several companies in its ranks : 



N^ame. 


Co. 


Rank. 


Birthplace. 


Parentage. Remarks. 


Geo. C. Norris, 


C 


Corporal 




American 


John E. Ferrin, 


C 


Private 


Penacook 


Irish 


James Driscoll, 


C 


Private 


Ireland 


Irish 


James Shea, 


H 


Private 


Lowell, Mass. 


Irish 


Frederick Keefe, 


C 


Private 


Lowell, Mass. 


Irish Died in 


Charles Brooks. 


C 


Private 


Connecticut 


American service 


James H. Wool ley. 


E 


Private 


Stalybridge, Eng. 


English 


Gale Dudley, 


E 


Private 




American 


James Fife, 


G 


Private 


Lowell, Mass. 


Irish 


Napoleon Miner, 


G 


Private 


West Randolph, Vt. 


P'rench 


Edward McNamara, 


H 


Private 


Lincoln, Neb. 


Irish 


Harry Brown, 


H 


Private 




American 


John Parkinson, 


II 




Lawrence, Mass. 


luiglish 


Thomas Rouse, 


II 


Private 




Irish 


John H. Royce, 


E 


Private 


Penacook 


American 


Ernest S. Royce, 


E 


Wagoner 


Penacook 


American 


Wm. J. Corbett, 


C 


Private 


Penacook 


Irish 


A. W. Nutting, 


E 


Private 


Canterbury 


American 


John Roberts, 


II 


Private 


Penacook 


French 


Fred V. Terry, U. 


S. navy 


Private 


New York 


American 



But one of the number, F'rederick Keefe, died. None of the 
others was seriously ill. John Parkinson is now in the Twenty- 
second Infantry, U. S. A., at Manila. Three at least of the 
number were the sons or grandsons of veterans. The father and 



THE FISHERVILLE CORNET BAND. 247 

uncle of WooUey died in the Civil War, one in the Fifth regiment, 
the other in the Seventh, while the grandfather of Shea, Luke 
Garvey, was killed in the Fifth ; a grand uncle, Thomas Healcy, 
was killed in the Seventh, and still another, William Healey, died 
in the Second. Brown is a son of E. L. Brown, Tenth Vermont 
Volunteers, now in the Twenty-second U. S. Infantry. John and 
Ernest Royce were nephews of James Woolley and grandsons of 
Corporal John R. Davis, Twelfth New Hampshire Volunteers. 
With one or two exceptions, nearly all of those named were not 
far from twenty years of age. Woolley had seen service in the 
regular army, putting in five years in the cavalry. He was, for 
that reason, the old "veteran" of the regiment. 

Eight of the number were of Irish parentage, two of English, 
two French Canadians, and eight of American parentage. 
Although this regiment lacked the opportunity to distinguish 
itself, as it remained in camp in Chickamauga during its entire 
service, it is not too much to claim for it that if it had, it would 
have made as good a record on the battle-field as it did at Chicka- 
mauga, for it was said of it that there was no better volunteer 
regiment encamped there. To the credit of our Penacook boys 
it must be said of them that their conduct received the commen- 
dation of their superior officers, in this way acquiring the char- 
acter of being good soldiers and thus keeping up the reputation 
of the village established years before by the boys of 1861. 

THE FISHERVILLE CORNET BAND. 
[WRITTKN 15V JOHN C. I.INKIIAN.] 
Copyright, 1899. 

The Fishcrvillc Cornet Band was organized in September, 
1858. As Cap'n Cuttle would say: "This was a band as was 
a band," and paved the way for its famous successor. D. Arthur 
Brown was its first leader, S. G. Noyes, director, and E. Frank 
Batchelder, clerk and treasurer. The other members were : S. P. 
Danforth, D. F. Silloway, W. O. Dyer, Alfred Bullock, John C. 
Mitchell, Alonzo Campbell, Charles Abbott, E. S. Harris, E. R. 
Noyes, G. W. Brockway, Jeremiah Burpee, David A. Brown, 
Henry F, Brown, S. P. Danforth, I. H. P\arnum, Geo. E. Flanders, 
Nathan Emerson, Geo. F. Sanborn, and George Amsden. 



248 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

This band in its infancy occupied tlie room over the present 
Methodist church, and it was interesting for those outside to note 
the evolution from "Few Days" to the rendition of a first class 
quick-step. 

The recruits who joined later were L. M. Currier, Mason W. 
Tucker, Charles P. Shepard, John C. Linehan, George C. Virgin, 
C. C. Bean, Edward Dow, Charles J. Ellsworth, George B. 
Elliott, and Samuel R. Mann. The location was changed to 
Pantheon hall, and here it remained during its existence. Under 
the tutorship of Alonzo Bond of Boston, and leadership of Loren I 

Currier, the band secured and maintained a reputation that placed | 

it among the best musical organizations of the state. It accom- 
panied the Pioneer Engine company to the last great firemen's 
muster at Manchester in 1859, and marched at the head of the 
Concord "Wide Awake" in the great torchlight procession in 
Boston in October, i860. A new acquisition was made that 
year in the person of Carl Krebs, a Prussian and a great musician. 
The best tribute paid the band at the same time was its selection 
to perform service for the Governor's Horse Guards, one of the 
most stylish military organizations ever recruited in New Hamp- 
shire. The fact that Hall's band of Boston, one of the best in the 
country, had been its predecessor in the Horse Guards was evi- 
dence of its standing. 

At first there was a little rivalry between it and the Concord 
band, but the latter was left far in the rear, and took consolation 
in the fact that if not as good players " they were not so round 
shouldered as the members of the Fishcrville band." 

Their engagement by the Horse Guards, although a matter of 
pride, was nevertheless an occasion of dismay, for the bo}'s for 
the first time in their lives had to pla\' on horseback. As nearly 
all of them were novices in this direction the outlook was serious, 
for it is a question if there were half a dozen of the number that 
had ever straddled a horse. When the proposition was first 
broached in the band room, one of the saddest looking men was 
the leader, Loren Currier. He said he would vote to accept on 
one condition, and that was if a horse could be secured large 
enough to have them all ride together and give him a place in the 
middle. The proposition was, however, accepted, and for three 



THE FISHERVILLE CORNET BAND. 249 

or four weeks the flat on the Boscavven side looked Hke a western 
ranch, surrounded by a lot of tenderfoots playing the part of cow- 
boys, for it was up there the bo}'s went to break in their steeds. 
It was a moving sight (the moving was all towards the ground, 
however), and the bucking bronchos of the Wild West show fur- 
nished no more sport, while it lasted, than did the gallant eques- 
trians of the Fisher\'ille band while tr\'ing to train their horses to 
march and wheel by fours. But they finally overcame all obsta- 
cles, and a proud lot they were when they made their first appear- 
ance on Main street in Concord, at the head of the gorgeous 
squadron of hussars. This was in the spring of 1861, a year full 
of historic memories. 

When the First New Hampshire regiment went to the front, 
in April of that }'ear, it was escorted to the depot by the Horse 
Guards, and on its return, three months later, it was received by 
the same organization, the band furnishing music on both occa- 
sions. " Election Day " following it also led the parade. It was 
a great da}', and to those who took part, one to be remembered. 
The horses had been pretty well trained by this time, but until 
this day there had never been any occasion to move faster than a 
walk, which was, no doubt, pleasing to the horses, and still more 
pleasing to the riders. Ever\'thing passed off finely while the line 
marched up Main street, save a little coolness between the steeds 
rode b}^ Loren Currier and David Silloway. During a brief halt 
near the free bridge road, the latter's horse became too familiar 
with that of Currier — a fiery little black nag owned by Rolfe Bros., 
and her resentment made itself felt through her heels, the movement 
almost upsetting Currier and disabling Silloway, who received the 
full effect of the attack on one of his knee pans, and above the 
blast of the bugle could be heard the voice of Silloway, as he 
roared with pain. "Condemn }'our old mare," said Dave. "Darn 
your old horse," said Loren, and then the "band played," while 
poor Dave was taken to the hospital, the first and only victim of 
the war in the Horse Guards. The procession moved, wheeling 
to the left at the north end and countermarching down State street. 
Arriving at the South church the column halted while the gover- 
nor and guests, etc., dismounted and entered the building. This 
part over, the order to " forward march " was given, immediately 



250 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

followed by the order " Trot." This order not being down on 
the " bill of fare," the boys were not prepared, and the result was 
confusion dire. In the twinkling of an eye there was a forcible 
separation of the band and Horse Guards, and in some instances 
of horse and rider. The steed, a powerful nag, ridden by George 
Flanders, took a literary turn and started on a gallop for St. Paul's 
school. Bill D}'er rode the old gray store horse of H. H. and J. 
S. Brown ; his business was such that nothing could excite him ; 
he looked on, and instead of running and making a fool of him- 
self, he simply laid down and rolled over, seeming to think he 
would be in the ring when time was called. 

It was a most eventful day, as those surviving can well remem- 
ber, and the spectacle of John Linehan, Henry Brown, Loren 
Currier, and several other ga}^ young sports, bobbing up and 
down, sometimes on the saddle but more times off, like corks on 
stormy waters, once seen can never be forgotten. Each mutually 
concluded that thereafter the ground was good enough for them. 
But circumstances soon brought about a change, which gave 
them all the ground service they wanted. 

The old band, before the war, left many pleasant reminiscences, 
for while it was in existence it broke the monotony of what might 
otherwise have been a dull community and awoke a love of music 
in the young people of the village that has hardh^ \'et died out. 
Samuel G. Noyes was in its early days its director, and it is not 
saying too much to give him what is his due, and that is the credit 
of bringing out and encouraging young men to study music, vocal 
and instrumental. It would be a rare thing to go by his store 
between the years 1856 and 1870 and not hear the music of a 
violin, flageolet, cornet, or cabinet organ, played by either himself, 
his wife, or his brother luioch, for all three were performers on 
one or all the instruments mentioned. Then the village was often 
enlivened by the promenade concerts given in their band-room, 
notably so when Alonzo Bond was the teacher, and no church 
fair or levee in those days was complete without it. 

The advent of Loren M. Currier as leader opened a new source 
of pleasure, for a better story teller never lived, and the recollec- 
tion of the happy hours spent during recess at rehearsals listening 
to him, to the quaint sayings of John Mitchell, or to the historical 



THE FISHERVILLE CORNET BAND. 25 I 

debates between Sam Brown and John Linehan, is enough to 
make one wish he was a boy again. 

Excursions by the Pioneer Engine company were of more fre- 
quent occurrence then than now, and the band invariabh- accom- 
panied it. The lake and the seashore were often visited, and a 
trip to Portsmouth in 1859 is often recalled on account of the 
many incidents it furnished. The party was invited to visit Jones's 
brewery, and during their stay the prohibition law was declared 
off. The Shoals was the objective point, and in order to reach 
there, ten miles, the company and band embarked on a schooner. 
On the way they were becalmed, and many were obliged reluc- 
tantly to part with the samples partaken of at the hop mill, for 
Neptune demanded toll, which had to be paid in his own coin, 
and all who were ever seasick know what kind of currency that is. 
The Shoals were not reached until late at night, and the demand 
for supper on arriving was light. One of the band boys who still 
lives, while wrestling with his stomach, happened to get his eyes 
on the revolving light on White Island, and as he looked at it he 
thought it was the moon, but was amazed to find that it was red 
and white in turn. Hardly trusting his e}'e, he burst out: 

" Boys, what in thunder ails the moon, is that seasick, too?" 

Another was in a terrible pickle to find if there was not some 
way that he could walk around to the main land without going by 
water again, but after a time all managed to return safely, and for 
a long time after enjoyed talking about the trip with as much 
interest as if it had been a whaling excursion or a journey to the 
West Indies. 

The Merrimack count}' fairs were then held in Fisherville, and 
here, too, the band made itself conspicuous, being always engaged 
for such occasions. The f^at near the academy, the level space 
below Willow Hollow, now grown over with trees, and the old 
common front of the schoolhouse, were the several locations. 
The fairs grew to be so successful that Concord gobbled them up. 

About i860 they were first held on what is now the state camp 
ground, where they flourished for a few years, until the war, horse 
jockeying, and similar blessings peculiar to martial nations and 
wide-awake, enterprising cities, drove them out of existence. 

At political meetings, too, generally Republican, for the great 



252 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

organization of that name was still in its infancy, it made itself 
felt, and the strains of " Way Down upon the Swanee River" min- 
gled harmoniously with the cries of "Bleeding Kansas." The 
institutions of learning, also, like New London, New Hampton, 
and Tilton, availed themselves of its services, but the storm cloud 
which had hung over the country for years finally burst, and Bull 
Run was the first awakening of the great struggle which was to 
last for four long years onl}' to end with the sacrifice of half a 
million of lives, but with the government more firmh^ established 
than ever and for the first time in its history free from the foul 
stain of human slavery. 

Events followed events in rapid succession in those stirring 
days. The formation of the Third regiment, New Hampshire 
Volunteers, in Juh^ 1861, made an opening for a regimental 
band, and in this band were enlisted D. Arthur Brown, Henry F. 
Brown, Samuel F. Brown, George E. Flanders, Carl Krebs, John 
C. Mitchell, and John C. Linehan. David A. Brown accompanied 
the regiment, but was not enlisted. This step practically wound 
up the career of the Fisherville Cornet band, for later Loren Cur- 
rier went out in the Post band at Port Royal, and the absence of 
so many finally brought about its dissolution, an event which 
occurred before the close of the war. 

D. Arthur Brown was the second leader of the Third Regiment 
band, and it is worthy of note that this was the first band to play 
at the capture of Port Royal in November, 1861. And the Port 
Royal Post band played at the raising of the flag on P^ort Sumter 
on its recapture, after Sherman's celebrated march from Atlanta 
to the sea. The old band was well represented in both organiza- 
tions. There are many pleasant reminiscences connected w ith it, 
and accompanying them are some both sad and tender, for rarely 
was a better lot of young men organized for any purpose. Of 
the twenty-nine men who were members during its existence but 
six reside in Penacook to-day. 

li. Frank Batchelder, who was its first clerk, was the son 
of John Batchelder, the storekeeper. He died about twenty 
years ago. His widow, who was the daughter of our old-time 
friend, "Ben" Morrill, is now the wife of George W. Abbott. 
Frank Batchelder, it is believed, was the first person to cut and 



THE FISHERVILLE CORNET BAND. 253 

store ice for summer consumption in the village. His ice house 
was located on the spot where the Moran house is located beside 
the square. 

George S. Danforth, who, like the latter, played cornet, was a 
brother of Reuben Danforth. He left the village before the war, 
and died out West in '98. 

" Bill " Dyer, his fiddle, and red vest, was a well-known figure 
in Penacook for nearly forty years. He passed away about ten 
years ago. 

Alfred Bullock, whose home was on the Couch place, on the 
road to Boscavven, now owned by H. Bonney, died before the 
war. His widow is the present wife of Charles Couch. 

John C. Mitchell, who lived opposite the academy, died shortly 
after the war. None of his people now resides here. 

Alonzo Campbell removed to Concord in the sixties and died 
there some years ago. 

E. S. Harris was one of the first members, and one belo\'ed by 
all his associates. A more genial or hospitable man never lived. 
He left us but a short time ago, the greatest loss the village has 
met for years. 

Enoch R. Noyes, good, kind old Enoch, as mild as a woman, 
and with a pleasant word for everyone. He, too, at a very short 
notice, as many will remember, went the way of all flesh within a 
few years. 

George W. Brockway, who lived on the Boscawen side, a black- 
smith by occupation, died a few years ago. 

Nathan Emerson, the finest looking man perhaps in the band, 
was an employee of Caldwell in the cabinet shop. He went away 
in i860 and never returned. 

Jeremiah Burpee, for many years overseer of the card-room in 
the Penacook mill, one of the pillars of the Baptist church, and 
one of the jolliest, kindest men on earth, has been gathered to his 
fathers for years. Fat and merry was he ; he enjoyed a good 
story, and when one was told him it was a treat to notice the 
twinkle of his eye, the movement of his double chin, and the 
quiver of his ponderous body. He played an E flat tuba, and 
could fill the bill and instrument too. 

S. P. Danforth, better known as Print, now lives in Concord 



254 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

and is engaged in building ; one of the firm of Danforth, Forrest 
& Co. He was one of the old-time favorites, and still loves to 
talk of days when we were boys together. 

" Ike " Farnum, who served in the war in Berdan's Sharp- 
shooters, died a few years ago from malaria contracted in service. 
His widow now lives in Penacook. He was quiet and gentle, 
making friends wherever he went. 

George H. Amsden, brother to Charles H. Amsden, died early 
in the seventies. His death, like that of E. S. Harris, was a pub- 
lic calamity. He was a man of the most amiable character, and 
none laments his loss more than those who knew him best, viz., 
his employees and his associates in the old band. 

Mason W. Tucker, who used to work for Rolfe Brothers, left 
here after the war, and for years was engaged in the mercantile 
business in Boston. 

"Charley" Shepard was with Ike Farnum in Berdan's Sharp- 
shooters, was shot through the body at Fair Oaks, but recovered 
from the effects of his wound, and is at the present time mayor 
of Knowlton hill. Like Cincinnatus, his active life being over, 
he has returned to the plough, and has blossomed out a full- 
fledged granger. 

Charles C. Bean, who was ever a warm friend of the band, has 
been dead about twelve years. Kind hearted and public spirited, 
his sad ending will ever be lamented by those who knew and 
esteemed him. 

brown's band. 

[WRITTEN bV JOHN C. LINEHAN.] 
Copyright, 1899. 

Several attempts had been made, during the war, to maintain 
the organization of the old Fisherville Cornet band, but whatever 
headway had been made was blocked in February, 1863, by the 
departure of Loren M. Currier, David A., Samuel F., and Henry 
F. Brown, and John C. Mitchell. They were attached to the 
Post band, stationed during the war at Port Royal, S. C. This 
finally wound up the existence of the old band, and for over two 
years " tooting" was at a discount in Penacook. The only excep- 



brown's band. 255 

tion was Sam Noyes, who would blow an occasional blast just to 
let the public know that the fires were still burning. 

The close of the war in the spring of 1865 gave hopes of its 
resurrection, and not in vain, for before the summer was over the 
absent ones had returned. A meeting was held at the Washing- 
ton House. It took some time to get things into shape, for of 
course the boys who had but just returned had more important 
duties to attend to. After these had been adjusted to the mutual 
satisfaction of all concerned, the organization of a new band 
was finally perfected. This began its career under the most 
auspicious circumstances, for a large part of the members had 
acquired experience, as well as practice, on the " tented field." 

The final meeting to perfect the organization was held on the 
evening of Oct. 15, 1865, and the name selected, in accordance 
with Article i of the Constitution and By-laws. " In view of the 
past services of David A. Brown in sustaining the musical interest 
in this village, this organization shall be known by the name of 
' Brown's Cornet band.' " This was a deserved compliment to a 
gentleman who had always taken an active part in the support of 
the various musical societies in the village from the very first. 
The original members were D. Arthur Brown, John C. Linehan, 
Loren M. Currier, David A. Brown, George F. Sanborn, George 
F. Blake, David S. Marsh, John Pendergast, John C. Mitchell, 
Jeremiah Sanborn, Samuel N. Brown, S. P. Danforth, Warren W. 
Whittier, Charles H. Garland, Charles Abbott, Samuel F. Brown, 
J. H. Proctor, George E. Flanders, and Samuel G. Noyes. The 
officers were: D. Arthur Brown, leader; L. M. Currier, musical 
director; and John C. Linehan, clerk and treasurer. 

The citizens of the village were so well pleased that they sub- 
scribed liberally towards the purchase of new instruments. The 
ladies, who had alwaj'S taken the band under their special protec- 
tion, did, if anything, more than their part. A levee held by 
them for the same purpose netted nearly $400. For some five 
years after its formation the most of the pla}Mng outside of the 
rehearsal room was for excursions, picnics, lectures, etc., given or 
held under the auspices of the several religious or benevolent 
societies in the village and for which, as a rule, no charge was 
made. In this way the band had been noted for doing its share 



256 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

in providing rational amusement as well as good music for the 
community. 

Very little classical music had been rendered by the old band. 
The experience of a large number of the members during the war 
was such as to bring about a call for that kind, however. It was 
hard work at first. It was an easy matter, comparativel}^ to play 
quicksteps, polkas, mazurkas, etc., but it was another matter 
altogether to take up long selections from the different operas, 
and it must be said that the change was anything but pleasing to 
a large majority, the greater part of which would about as soon 
saw wood as to rehearse the different parts of " II Trovatore," 
" Martha," etc. Constant practice, however, under the direction 
of Mr. Currier, effected a great change in this respect, so that in 
time all learned to love this style of music. In addition to being 
of a higher class than was usually played by a country band, it 
was worth a good deal more as a means to read rapidly, which is 
one of the first essentials to a pla}'er. 

During the period mentioned it accompanied parties from the 
village to the many places of resort, from the mountains to the 
sea. Not a nook or cove on the beautiful Winnipiseogee but 
what were familiar to its members. It furnished music for the 
first reunion of the Third regiment, which was held at Boar's 
Head, Hampton, in the fall of 1870. This was an enjoyable 
occasion for such of the band as were in the service. P^or that 
reason it is one of the events that cannot be forgotten. Colonels 
Fellows and Jackson were present. 

The late Charles W. Webster of Boscawen was an honorary 
member of the band, and din-ing its existence he made it a special 
event of each year to have the band at his place on the Foiu'th of 
July. Those gatherings were perhaps the most enjo)-able of any 
in which the boys participated. Usually Mr. Webster had as 
guests some of the most noted men between Boston and 
Boscawen. He was the soul of hospitality. It was his desire, 
when the time arrived to lay him away with his fathers, to have 
the band officiate at his funeral, but of the two he survived the 
longer and this part of the compact was not fulfilled. 

Under the tuition of Mr. Currier and the leadership of Mr. 
Brown, the band had by this time acquired a reputation for pro- 



brown's band. 257 

ficiency in music as well as a reputation for discipline that was 
not confined to the village. When first organized there was no 
thought of accomplishing anything more than playing merely for 
personal pleasure or to remind them of the experience of the past. 
This was not to be, howev^er. Applications for its services from 
outside were so frequent that it was finally decided to procure 
uniforms. 

Some time before this, when the decoration service for Memo- 
rial Day was instituted, an organization was formed by the mem- 
bers of the band, called "The Fisherville Memorial Association," 
for the purpose of paying the respect on Memorial days due the 
memory of the veterans whose remains were interred in Wood- 
lawn cemetery. A few outsiders also belonged. This service 
was faithfully performed from 1870 to the institution of the Grand 
Army Post in 1875. The band not only paid all the expense for 
the decoration of graves, but as well for speakers, hall, etc. In 
this laudable enterprise the ladies of Penacook cooperated by 
furnishing the flowers and wreaths. 

In October, 1874, uniforms were worn for the first time. In 
color they were gray with red facings. The hats were of the 
latest style then in vogue, with pompons. They were very attrac- 
tive, and the band made an attractive appearance on parade, 
creditable to itself and satisfactory to its friends. On this occa- 
sion it accompanied the St. Patrick's Benevolent society to a fair 
held in Concord for the benefit of Father Barry's church. Later 
it furnished music for the dedication of the Dustin Island monu- 
ment, which was perhaps one of the greatest events in the history 
of Penacook ; also on the occasion of the dedication of the new 
iron bridge. In the summer of the same year it accompanied 
the Mt. Horeb Commander}', Knights Templar, of Concord, on 
the annual excursion of the organization. From that time hence- 
forth to its dissolution the band furnished all the music for this 
Commander}'. 

The excursion ^mentioned, or rather its route, was from Concord 
to Portsmouth, thence to the Isles of Shoals, where dinner was 
taken, back again to Portsmouth, remaining there over night. 
In the morning cars were taken for Dover, where the visitors were 
the guests of the Dover Commandery. A most bounteous ban- 
iS 



258 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

quet was partaken of here, which was duly appreciated by the 
Sir Knights as well as by the members of the band. From thence 
the train was taken for Wolfeborough via Alton Bay and the 
steamer Mt. Washington. Here the party remained over night. 
Next day a sail was taken to Centre Harbor, where they dined, 
returning to Concord on the same evening. During this trip Sir 
Knight John Whittaker filled the part of drum major, his stalwart 
form and manly bearing naturally attracting a great deal of 
attention. 

The following year, 1875, there were man}' calls. It accom- 
panied the St. Patrick's Benevolent society of Penacook to the 
St. Patrick's Day celebration in Manchester and attended the ser- 
vices held in the cathedral. The political campaign of the same 
year kept it in service for nearly a month continually. An excur- 
sion to Downer's Landing, Boston, with the same society was 
another pleasing episode in its histor}'. This year for the first 
time Mr. E. N. L'Africain of Marlborough, Mass., one of the best 
cornet players in New England, became an honorary member. 
Thereafter, until the dissolution of the band, on all occasions 
requiring extra-talent soloists, he was present. 

September, 1875, it again accompanied the INIt. Horeb Com- 
mandery on its annual excursion. This time they went to Oak 
Bluffs, Martha's Vine}'ard. In addition to Mr. L'Africain, the 
services of Jean Missud, leader of the Salem Cadet band, and 
Joseph L'Africain, tuba, and Pedro Me}^relles, clarionet, were 
secured, thus rendering the best service from the organization of 
the band. They also became honorary members. Another addi- 
tion was William Kennedy, cornet soloist, formerly of the British 
army, who had joined the band as a regular member. This trip 
was the plcasantest ever undertaken, and the music from the start 
to the return was creditable to the band and enjo\'ablc to all who 
heard it. 

The first general reunion of the New Hampshire Veterans was 
held in Manchester in October, 1875. The services of the band 
were engaged on this occasion, and for them they were specially 
complimented by Major-General Griffin, camp commandant. It 
also furnished music at the annual lc\-ce of the Concord Board of 
Trade, held in White's opera house, tlic same }'car. The hon- 



BROWNS BAND. 259 

orary members were all present, the solos rendered by Messrs. 
Kennedy, Missud, and Meyrelles being loudly applauded and 
repeatedly encored. 

Brown's band furnished music for a fair held in Eagle hall, Con- 
cord, in the November following, by the First Methodist socict}'. 
It lasted for two evenings, and on the way down and return each 
evening the boys were agreeably entertained and highly edified by 
listening to a discourse by Professor Currier on the snares and 
temptations which beset the path of the young man who leaves his 
home for the first time, to take part in the bustle and turmoil of a 
wicked world. His illustrations drawn from his own experience 
were vivid, and when he failed to find a suitable subject from 
that source, he drew largely from his imagination — all of which 
had such an effect on his hearers that not a dry eye was to be 
seen in the hack, with the possible exception of the sage himself, 
who was then a firm believer in the old saw, — 

"A little nonsense, now and then, 
Is relished by the best of men."' 

The kind, genial, old philosopher! Though his shadow is not 
large, may it never grow less ! His mission in life has seemed to 
be to smooth out the crow's feet and wrinkles of care. He is 
still living, in the }-ear of our Lord 1899, hale and hearty, and 
let us hope when the bugle sounds his last call, all that is mortal 
of him may be laid in some bright, sunny corner of the cit\' of 
the dead, where the green grass and bright flowers can spring to 
life over him, in whose presence, care and gloom vanished like 
mist before the sun. 

To a stranger entering Penacook five minutes before twelve 
o'clock on the night of the 31st of December, 1875, the village 
presented no unusual appearance, but five minutes later, imme- 
diately on the first stroke of the midnight bell, the booming 
of cannon, the rattling of musketry, the ringing of bells, the 
unearthly shrieking of steam whistles, the blaze of bonfires, the 
cheers of the multitudes, and the inspiring strains of the " Star 
Spangled Banner" from Brown's band, all gave notice that the 
Centennial of American Independence had arrived, and the cit- 
izens of Penacook were prepared to greet it and usher it in with 



26o HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

all the honors due such a great event. This was, without excep- 
tion, the greatest event occurring in the history of the village, 
and will perhaps be remembered the longest by those who were 
engaged in it. 

On Memorial Day, 1876, music was furnished for the Decora- 
tion Day services at Great Falls. The band went down the eve- 
ning before and gave a concert in the town hall for the benefit of 
the Post. There was an immense audience, and a handsome sum 
was realized. The beginning of the centennial }'ear found Brown's 
band in good condition, and with an enviable reputation, both for 
the quality and the quantity of its music. It was a common 
remark by the officers of the several organizations for whom it 
served, that they never had a band so liberal with its music. 
There was no "soldiering" in its ranks, as it was expected that 
each man would pla\' his part until the signal to cease was given 
by the leader. In this respect the band never failed to give 
satisfaction. No organization, after having contracted to pay 
liberal wages for a day's job, liked to see a band marching at its 
head, with the instruments idle half of the time in the hands of 
the performers. 

The discipline of the band was perfect, and this was nearly all 
due to the leadership of D. Arthur Brown, whose word on parade 
was law. On the 15th of January of this year a concert and ball 
were gi\'en in Contoocook. Although not a great success pecun- 
iarily the occasion was enjoyable to all concerned. In the spring 
campaign of this }-ear music was furnished in Concord. A new- 
acquisition was made in March in the person of Thomas Fookes, 
a fine musician and a skilled performer on the trombone and 
euphonium. He had seen service in the English arm}' and navy, 
and before coming to Penacook was the director of the Concord 
brass band. On March 2d it accompanied the White Mountain 
lodge of Odd Fellows to I^ast Concord, the occasion being the fu- 
neral of one of their associates. The day was extremely cold and 
was well remembered, for it was hard work to keep the valves of 
the instruments from freezing. A levee was held by the ladies of 
Penacook for the benefit of the band during the same month, 
which was very successful, a handsome sum being netted. 

On April 26 music was furnished the Penacook lodge of Odd 



r.ROWN'S BAND. 261 

Fellows who went to Concord to take part in the anniversary of 
the establishment of the order in New Hampshire. On the first 
of May music was furnished for the Mt. Horeb Commandery in 
Concord, the occasion being its fiftieth anni\ersary. The Law- 
rence, Mass., Commandery was present and was accompanied by 
Edmund's band of Boston. Both commanderies turned out with 
full ranks, and the fine appearance of the Knights, with their mag- 
nificent regalia and good marching, made it a very attractive spec- 
tacle. A levee was held in the evening in Phenix hall, both bands 
uniting to furnish the music for the grand march. June 8, elec- 
tion day. Col. John A. White, of the governor's staff, secured the 
band for the First New Hampshire S. M., which was to take part 
in the inauguration of Governor Cheney. It was an old-time elec- 
tion day, the entire state militia being present, while on all sides 
were auctioneers, pop beer men, corn doctors, balloon sellers, pea- 
nut venders, lemo, lemo, lemonade stands, and crowds of people. 
Concerts were given in the state house yard in the evening. 

On June 29 the band accompanied the Reform club to Concord 
to attend a mass meeting of the temperance people of the state. 
It was held in the state house yard. Among the speakers were 
John B. Gough and Wendell Phillips. July 4 the city of Concord 
celebrated the looth anniversary of the republic. There was a 
grand trade procession, the finest ever seen in the city, every busi- 
ness house, mercantile, manufacturing, and otherwise, being repre- 
sented in it. In addition there were large floats, many of them 
representing the stirring events occurring in different periods of 
the country's history from the discovery of America by Columbus 
down to the Civil War. All uniformed organizations in the city, 
militar}' and civil, turned out; but the old saying of " Man pro- 
poses but God disposes" was never better illustrated, for the 
parade had no more than got fairly started when a terrific thunder 
storm, or rather a succession of them, burst over the devoted pa- 
triots' heads, putting an end effectually to the celebration. 

July 6 it accompanied the Democratic W^ard Committee to Con- 
cord, the occasion being the ratification meeting of Tilden and 
Hendricks. On the 9th of August it again led the Mt. Horeb 
Commandery to its annual field day, which was held in Suncook. 

The Manchester Commandery was also present, accompanied 



262 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

by the Goffstown band. After the exercises were over, a bounte- 
ous banquet was partaken of in a tent near the residence of Sir 
Knight Jewell. A visit was paid to the Head brick yards and a 
parting saUite paid General Natt, who had his French brigade 
(bricklayers) turn out in uniform (?) . On Sept. 5 the West Concord 
Reform club engaged it for an all day picnic on the shores of Lake 
Penacook. There was music and speaking in the grove during the 
day and a general illumination in the evening. On Sept. 7 the 
band was engaged to furnish music for two days at Great Falls, 
for the annual reunion of the Veterans of the Grand Army of the 
Republic. It was reenforced on this occasion by Missud, Castle, 
and L'Africain. It played on the 21st of this month for the great 
Blaine ratification meeting in Concord, where all had an opportu- 
nity to see and hear the man who so narrowly escaped being pres- 
ident. 

For several years music had been furnished for the Pioneer En- 
gine company, taking part in the annual parade of the Concord 
fire department. It accompanied the Torrent Engine company on 
the 30th following. The immortal Saxie Pike was drum major and 
attracted more attention than General Grant would and undoubt- 
edly felt better than Grant ever dared to feel. In October it ac- 
companied the Amoskeag Veterans of Manchester to the World's 
fair at Philadelphia. The governor of New Hampshire and many 
of the eminent men of the state with their ladies were guests. It 
reported for duty in Manchester at i i a. m. Oct. 14, 1876. After 
dinner a parade was made on Elm street, after which the line of 
March was taken for the railroad station. The weather was very 
pleasant, making the occasion enjoyable to all concerned. The 
band was reenforced by Jean Missud, Castle, Harrington, L'Af- 
ricain, and Edward Bagley. The latter was one of the best cornet 
players born in New Hampshire as well as one of the most esti- 
mable of men, and for many years before his death was the leader 
of the Germania band of l^oston. 

The services of Saxie Pike were engaged as drum major. Both 
veterans and band made a fine appearance, especially the former, 
whose uniform was a novelty to the people en route. The journey 
was via the Sound and Jersey City. A concert was given on the 
steamer to a very appreciative audience. The boat was literally 



brown's band. 263 

packed with people. Every one seemed to be going to the Cen- 
tennial and taking their wives or best girls with them. As it was 
out of the question getting either a stateroom or berth, the old 
saying that " Politics makes strange bed fellows " was beaten here 
as all lay around loose, both men and women, and in the desire 
for a few hours' rest all diffidence disappeared and Barnum's happy 
family was renewed on a large scale. 

To those who had never seen New York before, the ride along 
the East river was delightful. The morning was bright and sunny, 
every object being seen distinctly. Blackwell's and Randall's 
Islands, with their public institutions, were quickly passed by. 
Hell Gate, the scene of so many wrecks, was on the right, and all 
around towers, steeples, ships, steamers, tugs, and ferryboats made 
the scene something wonderful for those who had never been to 
the sea-coast or in the harbor of a large city, and there were many 
of that class. They arrived in Philadelphia about noon. Quarters 
were assigned them at the hotel near the exhibition grounds. After 
dinner a parade was made down Chestnut street to Independence 
hall. The fine appearance of the Veterans and the good music, 
for the band never played better, drew a large crowd, and the 
streets were thronged with people who followed the procession 
until the hall was reached, when the line was broken and an op- 
portunity given to all to examine the Philadelphia Cradle of Lib- 
erty and its priceless relics. 

The great event of the trip was the celebration on New Hamp- 
shire day. The commander of the Veterans was a real veteran 
himself. Major Henry H. Huse of the Eighth New Hampshire. 
As a compliment, escort dut\' was performed from the hotel to the 
exhibition grounds by the Lexington Cadets of Virginia, who were 
dressed in the traditional rebel gray. Among the invited guests 
were Governor Cheney and his staff in full uniform, and the orator 
of the da\', Professor E. D. Sanborn of I^artmouth college. The 
march through the Centennial grounds was something worth 
remembering. It was also Italian day. A statue of Columbus 
was dedicated in the forenoon. .\11 the Italian societies in Phila- 
delphia and vicinity and as far off as New York were present and 
participating. Witty Charles Garland remarked on seeing them 
that it was the first time that he had looked on so many Italians 



264 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

without seeing either a hand organ or a monkey. The place of 
meeting was at the New Hampshire house. There was a large 
assemblage of the sons and daughters of the old Granite state wait- 
ing for the services. They were of great interest to all present. 
In addition to the music by the band, which had been especially 
prepared, the celebrated Hutchinson family sang some of their 
famous songs as well as a new ode composed for the occasion. 
This visit to Philadelphia was one of the pleasantest outings ever 
taken by Brown's band, and although more than twenty-two )'ears 
have passed since then, the remembrances of it are as vivid as ever 
to those who survive. A sketch of the trip was prepared imder 
the direction of the commander of the Amoskeag Veterans and 
published in pamphlet form. It contained full details of the event 
as well as the names of all who participated. 

After its return the band gave a concert in Phenix hall, Con- 
cord, for the Centennial fountain erected in Fairmount Park by the 
Catholic Total Abstinence Union of America. This netted a hand- 
some sum. It was under the supervision of the St. John's Catho- 
lic Temperance society of Penacook. Ncarl\' all of the same solo- 
ists were present, the pianoforte accompanists being Mrs. \\'. W. 
Hill of Concord and George H. Linehan of the band. 

During the presidential campaign of this year, the band was kept 
pretty busy up to the very eve of the election. In January, 1877, 
a series of promenade concerts were given in Exchange hall, which 
were very successful pecuniarily. On May 17 following, a fine 
concert of both \-ocal and instrumental music was gi\-cn in Ex- 
change hall. Among those who assisted on that occasion were 
Dr. and Mrs. J. H. French, Mrs. C. H. Scott and Miss Grace E. 
Darling of Manchester. On May 30 it was called upon to go for 
the second time to play for the Great Falls Post, G. A. R., on Me- 
morial Day. The concert was given in the town hall, which was 
as fine a performance as was ever given by the band. On June 
28 it furnished music at the commencement at the New Hampton 
institute. On the way to that place a serenade was tendered the 
birthplace of Mr. Currier in Bristol as a compliment to the man 
whom so many loved. 

On the glorious Fourth following it accompanied the Torrent 
Engine company to Franklin, and on the 12th gave a concert on 



brown's band. 265 

the stand near the Eagle hotel at Concord. Later in the evening 
some of the principal citizens were serenaded. Among those thus 
honored were Governor Prescott, Hon. George E. Todd, Rev. J. E. 
Barry, and J. Frank Webster. Jul\' 26 it accompanied the Mount 
Horeb Commandery to the funeral of Sir Knight Harris, who was 
interred at Warner. On the 14th of August a four days' trip was 
taken with the governor of New Hampshire and the state legisla- 
ture to Bennington, Vermont, to participate at the Centennial of 
the battle. While here it had the honor of being called upon to 
furnish music for the reception of President Hayes at the depot on 
his arri\'al, at the levee in the hotel in the ex'cning, and at the grand 
banquet the next daw Col. Charles C. Danforth of Concord acted 
as drum major, and by his skilful manceuvering gained new laurels 
for himself as well as the band. iVgain at Concord its services 
were called into requisition at the reception of the president 
during the day and e\'ening. A two days' trip was taken later to 
Lake Memphremagog. It furnished music for the field day of Mt. 
Horeb Commandery on the 5th of September, and on the 27th of 
the same month accompanied the commandery to the funeral of 
Sir Knight Taylor at Bristol. 

When 1878 came round, some of the older members of the band 
began to think it was about time to retire. The majority of them 
had been playing full twenty }-ears. Meantime new cares and 
responsibilities had increased with the advance of age. Their 
services were being constantly applied for in the winter of 1877 
and the year following, i 878. The most notable event of the latter 
year was the first reunion of the New Hampshire Veteran associa- 
tion held at the Weirs. 

The band had furnished music for the very first gathering at 
Manchester in 1875, and the re-engagement for 1878 was evidence 
of the character of the service rendered. It was now at the height 
of its reputation, and after considering the matter the members 
decided to give up business while in this condition rather than let 
it continue and lose the prestige which years of hard labor had 
produced. They voted to disband ; instruments and uniforms 
were sold, and Brown's band became onl}' a memory. In its dis- 
solution the village lost an organization that had done more during 
its existence in its line for Penacook than any other it had ever 



266 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

contained. Its services were furnished gratis for levees held by 
the several religious societies in the village and for the Post on 
Memorial days, and concerts were given on the stand in the Square 
on many pleasant evenings in summer. The band stand was re- 
moved later to the cemetery, where it comes in good use on Me- 
morial days as well as being a monument or a reminder of Brown's 
band. 

Among those who joined later and before its dissolution, were 
William Kennedy, Jean Missud, E. N. and J. R. L'Africain, Pedro 
Meyrelles, Edward Bagley, George H. Linehan, Frank M. Gar- 
land, Frank E. Bean, Dennis and Edward O'Brien, Charles Perkins, 
Stewart I. Brown, Samuel Burdick, George S. Locke, Albert G. 
Bugbee, James McArdle, John H. Rolfe, Abial W. Rolfe, and Joe 
Warren. 

One notable event in the history of the band that deserves re- 
cording was a visit to the White Mountains in October, 1877. It 
accompanied a party of excursionists, and with them went up the 
newly constructed railway to the Tip-top house on Mt. Washing- 
ton. The atmosphere was perfectly clear; the view all around was, 
in consequence, grand beyond description ; the air was warm and 
genial as on the average June day. It is believed that this was the 
first time that the national air of the republic was played on the 
highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains. 

Of the nineteen original members of Brown's band, the following 
survive and reside in Penacook : D. Arthur and Samuel N. Brown, 
John C. Linehan, Loren M. Currier, Geo. F. and Jeremiah San- 
born, David S. Marsh, Warren W. Whitticr, Charles Abbott, Geo. 
E. Flanders, and Samuel G. Noyes. Of the eighteen who subse- 
quently joined, active and honorary members, the following are 
still in Penacook: Dennis and Edward O'Brien, Samuet Burdick, 
George S. Locke, James McArdle, Frank E. Bean, and John H. 
Rolfe. 

D. yVrthur Brown was the leader of Brown's band through its 
existence and filled the same position for some time in the older 
Fisherville Cornet band. It is not too much to say of him that 
without his energy and active cooperation neither band would have 
ever actiuired the proficiency credited to them, and it is full}- be- 
lieved that this statement will be endorsed by the surviving mem- 



THEN AND NOW, 26/ 

bers of both. He has had, during the past twenty years, to en- 
counter his full share of the vicissitudes of life, but he has met them 
like a man. He is to-day, as he has been since its establishment, 
the head of a corporation which has been for the people whom it 
employed, so far as wages and generous treatment are concerned, 
one of the best the village has ever contained. 

Charles Abbott played the small drum, if is believed, in all the 
bands organized in Penacook since its creation as a village. He 
is perhaps the oldest of the members still living, so far as years 
arc concerned, with possibly one exception — in spirit he is as 
youthful as the youngest, and still officiates on occasions requiring 
his services as a drummer. 

Several attempts have been made to revive the interest in organ- 
izations of this kind ; so far with no permanent success. For 
obvious reasons no band equal to Brown's can be again established 
and maintained in the village. 

THEN AND NOW. — THE FATHERS OF THE HAMLET.— MEN THAT 
WORKED FOR THE WELFARE OF PENACOOK. 

[WRITTEN BY JOHN C. LINEMAN.] 
Copyright, 1899. 

Half a century ago the operatives in the mills in Penacook went 
to work in the morning at 5 o'clock ; half an hour was allowed for 
breakfast at 6: 30; three quarters of an hour for dinner at noon; 
the day's labor closed at 7 :30 p. m. 

Fifty years later, the day's labor began at 7 a. m. and ended at 
6 p. m., unless the hours were shortened on Saturday. In such 
an event they were added to the other five days in order to make 
up 60 hours for the week. One hour was allowed for dinner at 
noon. 

In 1850 pa\'ments of wages were made in factories and on the 
railroads once in four weeks or once a month. To-day weekly 
payments are the rule. In those old days employees in the estab- 
lishments named received for their services, as a rule, bills issued 
by the old state banks, which not infrequently proved worthless 
on account of the failure of the bank which issued them, and when 
good in New Hampshire not current in other states without dis- 
count. 



268 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

In these blessed modern days wage-earners receive their pay in 
national bank bills which are good equally all over the country, 
for the reason that the government possesses the collateral neces- 
sary to guarantee their payment. Half a century ago nearly all 
of the great industries, except that of cotton manufacturing, were 
in their infanc}'. Among them neither weekly nor monthly pay- 
ments were the rule. Money either in specie or currency was 
doled out only in small quantities and final settlements of accounts 
between employers and emplo}'ees were few and far between. 

If a man desired to get married, very often an order from his 
employer paid for the certificate and not infrequentl}' the minister 
or the justice of the peace who tied the knot. If he desired to 
get a pair of boots, a suit of clothing, or a cord of wood, he had to 
pay for them in the same commodity, and if he died it would not 
be at all unlikely that the undertaker would be obliged to accept 
an order for the coffin. 

Nowadays, men or women earning their dail}' bread by the 
labor of their hands, either as employees in cotton factories, in 
any of the great industrial works of the country, as day laborers, 
or females in domestic service, would be horrified if offered any- 
thing but the hard cash, either in silver, gold, or currenc}'. 

Fifty years ago the lines dividing the different evangelical soci- 
eties were very sharply defined and the Catholic church was 
barely tolerated. To-day the lines between the first named are 
nearly obliterated, and very little feeling exists between either the 
old or the new churches. The members of all are gradually near- 
ing a state in which the}^ can be truly classed as Christians. 

Fifty years ago the only means of illuminating mills, shops, and 
residences was the light produced from whale oil or candles. The 
use of kerosene was unknown. Camphene and burning fluid were 
just being introduced. Ten }'ears later coal oil of very poor qual- 
ity came into use and retailed at $1.25 per gallon. The stores, 
as a rule, were poorly lighted ; there were no lamps on the streets 
and people were obliged on dark nights, or when the moon had 
retired, to carry lanterns in order to find their way to church, 
store, post-ofifice, prayer-meetings, writing school, or to visit their 
neighbors. 

In this year of our Lord 1898, candles, except for ornamental 



THEN AND NOW. 269 

purposes or church use, have ahnost gone out of existence. Peo- 
ple can have their choice of kerosene oil at ten cents a gallon, im- 
measurably superior to that of a third of a century ago, or, if they 
can afford it, light their houses with electric fluid. Whale oil as 
an illuminating agent has disappeared probably forever. On the 
darkest nights the streets of Penacook in our times are as bright 
as they could be, more so than with a full moon, and the necessity 
for carrying lanterns publicly has gone by. 

Fifty years ago and later one could not take a walk on a sum- 
mer's evening without his sense of smell being offended as badly 
as Dr. Johnson's was when he first visited Edinburgh. On a very 
sultry evening it was almost overpowering and odors made up of 
999 varieties, varied according to age and quality. 

In these better and more cleanly times the establishment of a 
system of sewerage has done away with all this, and except in the 
case of a break in the " main " the odor is transferred to the banks 
of the Merrimack at a point where it will not be an offence to 
either man or beast. 

Fifty years ago the sink pipe, the well, and very often the hog 
pen were in close proximity, with the result that diphtheria, ty- 
phoid fever, consumption, and kindred diseases were quite com- 
mon. 

To-da}', thanks to city ordinances, common sense, the introduc- 
tion of Penacook lake water and better sanitary arrangements, the 
hog pen has disappeared, the wells have been filled up, and the 
sink pipe made a part of the sewer system. The three dreaded 
scourges mentioned have nearly disappeared to the great benefit 
of all, old and }'oung. 

P'ifty years ago nearly all the wage-earners of Penacook occu- 
pied tenements for which they paid rent. But very few of them 
had carpets on their floors or musical instruments, save a jews'- 
harp, accordion, or violin. 

To-day the majorit}' of the people of Penacook own their own 
homes. Many of them possess all the comforts of life, some of 
them the luxuries, and but few arc without pianos or organs. 

P'ifty years ago the men or boys at work in mill or shop wear- 
ing during the week a " boiled " shirt were few and far between. 
To-day it would be rare indeed to find one that is not wearing 



270 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

that kind of raiment and having it laundered by John Chinaman 
as well or in the more fashionable establishment run by steam. 

Fifty years ago it was a serious problem in the minds of many 
people as to whether or not the hordes of foreigners yearly arriv- 
ing in the country could be assimilated with the population and 
become thoroughly Americanized. To-day, after the experience 
of half a century, during which we have had two wars, that ques- 
tion seems to be effectually settled, for none responded more 
promptly to the call for troops or performed their duty as soldiers 
more faithfully or loyally, than the men, and the sons of the men, 
who were born on the other side of the Atlantic. For all of which 
we should be devoutly thankful, and " Praise God from whom all 
blessings flow." 

Among the former residents of the village who have passed 
away and who, while in life, were prominent more or less in its 
affairs, was Henry H. Brown, who can, as has been said, be justly 
called the " Father of the village." He was the head of the firm 
of H. H. and J. S. Brown, cotton manufacturers, and for a time 
operated the business in both of the stone mills. He was taught 
the stone mason's trade in his youth, and under his superintend- 
ence the Penacook mill was built in 1846. He was a public- 
spirited man, and to him is due largely the reputation Penacook 
enjoys among the newer manufacturing villages of possessing so 
many shade trees on its streets. Many of them were set out by 
his own hands or under his direction. He was one of the found- 
ers of the Baptist church, a faithful and consistent believer in its 
tenets and during life one of its deacons and most liberal sup- 
porters. His death was looked upon as a public calamity. His 
son, Henry F., who died but a few years ago, was perhaps one of 
the most popular young men the village ever possessed. He had 
a genial, happy disposition, and none knew him but to love him. 

Samuel F. Brown, David A. Brown, and Edmund Brown were 
brothers of the first named. The latter died before i860, and 
was therefore not so well known. Samuel was postmaster for 
many years and a public-spirited citizen. David, during life, was 
one of our best known men. Like his brothers he was active for 
the welfare of the village. Both were always great patrons of 



THE FATHERS OF THE HAMLET. 2/1 

music, and all were men of sterling worth and of the strictest 
integrity. Of the same class was Almon Harris, the founder of 
the woolen mill in the village, and his son, Sheldon, whose death 
was felt severely, not only by his immediate relatives but as well 
by every one who knew him, and that meant all the people in the 
village. 

B. F. Caldwell, H. H. Amsden, and Samuel Merriam come 
under the same class. They were associated together in the cab- 
inet shop. Mr. Caldwell was one of the best business men, as 
well as one of the most successful that the place ever contained, 
and the combination made up of those three men resulted in the 
cabinet shop doing a flourishing business in those old, palmy 
days. 

Contemporaries of theirs were Capt. Henry Rolfc and his sons, 
Timothy and Henry. They were descendants of the first settlers 
of Penacook, but, unlike the majority of that class, not only their 
children, but their grandchildren as well, reside in the old home 
and follow the business established by their fathers. For some 
years before the war there was no concern in Penacook, with the 
possible exception of the cabinet shop, that furnished so many 
men with emplo}'mcnt as the Rolfcs. 

Others well known, but perhaps now nearly forgotten, were 
S. B. Hoyt, father of J. I. Hoyt. He was one of the most genial, 
kindly men that ever lived in the village, and a special friend of 
the boys, protecting the younger ones in their games from any 
annoyance by their elders. He kept the livery stable connected 
with the Washington House and was for years the agent of the 
United States and Canada Express Co. J. C. Martin, Daniel 
Fox, Jacob P. Sanders, Grant and George P. Meserve, Hiram 
Simpson, John Batchelder, John Sawyer, William H. Allen, who 
has been but recently laid away in Woodlawn cemetery, Richard 
Crowther, Moses H. Bean, Dana W. Pratt, Charles C, Erastus, 
Joshua, and William D. Bean, Ira Sweatt, Nathan Chandler, 
Theodore, Eben, Henr}-, Nathan, and Luther Elliott, Nelson 
Davis, John Howard, and George Ilinton. The latter in his day 
was, without exception, one of the finest looking men in town, as 
well as one of the most jovial. 

Others were Richard Gage and his sons, Calvin, John C, 



2/2 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Luther, Frank, William H., and Richard, all men of sterling 
worth and character. Unlike the Rolfes, very few representatives 
of this famil}^ now reside in Penacook. 

Judge Nehemiah Butler was one of the same class, and from 
his first entry to the village was one of its most respected citizens. 

Rodney Button has been dead forty years or more. Like his 
son, George, he was in the dry goods business. He was a man 
of the most amiable character, honorable in all his dealings with 
his fellow-men, and his early death was a great loss to the village. 
His oldest son of the same name died but recently. 

Isaac K. Gage, for nearly half a century, was one of the best 
known men in Penacook. He was a brother of Asa Gage. He 
was one of the most public-spirited men in the village, alwa)'s 
taking an active interest in ever\'thing conductive to its benefit. 

The only survivor of the physicians mentioned in "Witherell's 
Directory" is Dr. William H. Hosmer. He has had the most 
extensive practice doubtless of any of his profession ever located 
here, and a goodly portion of our people of Irish origin were in 
days gone by his constant patrons. He was a liberal patron of 
music, and old-timers cannot recall his presence without again 
seeing his bass viol. 

Among the former members of the Catholic church who 
were while in life the pioneers of their creed in the village, as 
well as liberal contributors for its support, was Michael Bolger. 
He lived in and owned the house now occupied by the heirs of 
Charles C. Bean. He was one of the best men Penacook ever 
possessed. While living here he was in charge of a section of the 
Northern Railroad. He died in 1855 or 1856. Few men in the 
employ of the railroad corporation were esteemed more high)}-. 
The presence of Onslow Stearns and his wife at his funeral was 
the evidence of this. He was buried in Lowell. 

John Gahagan was, like Mr. Bolger, a good specimen of the 
Irish Catholic of fifty years ago. He was industrious and thrifty,, 
and was very nearly one of the first of his race or creed to pos- 
sess real estate. His death occurred just after that of Mr. Bolger. 

John Linchan was of the same stamp. He was always a liberal 
supporter of his church and a good citizen. For years it was a 
self-assumed duty for him to get the little hall in which services 



THE FATHERS OF THE IIA.NFLET. 2/3 

were held in proper shape for Sunday. He had a temporary 
altar made, and this he used to carry to and from the church from 
his house on Sundays. Among others were Kieran Pendergast, 
Peter Keenan, Thomas Gahagan, George Kennc}-, Thomas Ouig- 
ley, James Dolan, John Thornton, Edward and John H. Tajdor, 
Lawrence Gahagan, F'rancis O'Neill, Edward and Peter McArdle, 
Patrick O'Brien, Edward Halloran, Patrick Kellc\', Thomas Igo, 
Michael Grifhn, and John Pendergast. All were good citizens 
and lo}'al supporters of the church and government. 

Although no mention has been made in the foregoing but of 
those who have passed away, it would not be invidious to name a 
few of those who were their contemporaries and who had, like 
them, done their share, be the proportion great or less, in making 
Pcnacook what it is. Among them were John S. Brown, who 
was the second of the Brown brothers, and a man of enviable 
character. He possessed great will power and marked executive 
ability. He has been a strong pillar of the Baptist church and is 
one of the two original members now living. He has the peculiar 
distinction of having contributed more money for religious and 
educational purposes than any citizen in Penacook. The larger 
part of the funds for building the Baptist church and parsonage 
were given by him. Both buildings were erected under his per- 
sonal supervision and are memorials of his liberality. Few men 
have been more charitable ; very few, not even the recipients of 
his benefactions, knew the extent of this. 

Others were Capt. William H. Gage and his son Asa. The 
latter is one of the sturdiest representatives of the old stock resid- 
ing in Penacook to-day. Always true to his convictions of what 
is just and right, he is as honest as the days are long. 

Of the same class is Capt. Nathaniel Rolfe. Forty years ago 
he was head of a firm employing at that time more men, perhaps, 
than any other in the village. He had always been a liberal 
employer and a good, kind-hearted man. " The same can be said 
of his brother, Col. Abial Rolfe, who has always taken an active 
interest in the educational affairs of Penacook. 

Until within a few )-ears one of the best known men of the vil- 
lage was John A. Coburn. He was the assistant marshal of Con- 
cord for a long period, and while filling this position exercised 
19 



274 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

rare discretion in his treatment of those who \iolatcd the cit\' 
ordinances but could not properly be classed as criminals. His 
occupation of undertaker brought him in contact with all classes 
of people, and his urbane, kindh' disposition was one of his 
marked traits. He is now but waiting the call to follow the 
greater part of his former associates who have crossed the silent 
river. 

Hazen Knowlton, although a native of Concord, has lived in 
Penacook since 1846. He has been one of our most exemplar)- 
citizens, as well as a good representative of the thrifty, industrious 
mechanics of the place. His vigorous health is the best index of 
the life he has led. 

Two more who cannot in age be classed with the former, but 
who have been for the past thirty-five years among the foremost 
in business and public affairs, are John W'hitaker and George W. 
Abbott. Both have recently retired from an active business life. 
The former devotes the most of his time in the summer season to 
his squadron on the Contoocook, — the Modena is as dear to him 
as the Oregon was to Phillips. The latter looks after his interest 
in the electric road and the First National Bank. 

F"rom 1865 until within a few years the cabinet shop cmplo3'ed, 
perhaps, the largest number of men of any concern in the village. 
Many of our leading citizens were at one time or another employed 
therein. The financial reverses which overtook its proprietor 
were, in consequence, brought home to nearly every fireside in 
Penacook. The only one surviving of the men who have ope- 
rated the shop is the Hon. Charles H. Amsden, now, and for 
years past, first deputy naval of^cer of Boston. For the benefit 
accruing to the village his name, as well as the names of those 
who preceded him, ought to be hekl in grateful remembrance. 

Many others there are who deserve special mention did the 
space allow. 

What the future may have in store for Penacook time alone can 
tell. Its past is known, and the record made by the men whose 
names appear in the foregoing pages has been creditable to them- 
selves as well as to the village. With a change in the ownership 
of the water privilege, and the property once in the hands of par- 
ties of broad and liberal views and possessed of energy and capi- 



SPRING FRESHETS. 275 

tal, Penacook ma)- in time become what it ought to have been 
in the past, one of the leading manufacturing centres in New 
Hampshire. 

SPRING FRESHETS. 

[CONTRIBUTED BY HON. JOHN C. LIXEHAX.] 

Water, hke fire, is a good serx'ant but a hard master. People 
who have lived in Penacook can appreciate the force of this state- 
ment, when they recall the several floods that have taken place 
during the past fifty years. On February 5, 1847, about one hun- 
dred and fifty feet of the railroad was washed away by high water, 
near Goodwin's Point. The freshet of April 21, 22, 23, 1852, was 
the most destructive to property in the village of any that has ever 
occurred. A stone foundry located then very near where the 
breakwater is built, between the cabinet shop and the dam, was 
completely demolished by the rushing waters. A large two-story 
frame building, used as a pattern house and fitting-up shop for the 
foundry, was washed from its foundation and started down stream; 
just before reaching the bridge it swung around into an eddy near 
the south end of the bridge, where it was secured by ropes to the 
shore; after the water subsided it was torn down. 

Both cotton factories were shut down, and for a time people 
living in that part of the village known ^s "California," in the rear 
of the mill, were in danger of being drowned out. One of the 
results of this freshet was the building of the embankment which 
now exists, extending from the west end of the Penacook mill 
along the bank of the Contoocook river to the foot bridge crossing 
the canal near the Concord Axle Works. 

This was constructed under the supervision of Henr}' H. Brown, 
and in its condition to-da\' is evidence of his skill in that line. In 
his youth he was taught the mason's trade. Among the other 
buildings injured partiall}' was the house on the bank of the Con- 
toocook river on the Boscawen side opposite the residence of 
Edward McShane. The foundation of this house next the river 
was undermined and the whole rendered unsafe. 

The next freshet of any magnitude was in 1862, when the Mer- 
rimack, as well as the Contoocook, overflowed its banks. In 1865 
the bridge at Horse Hill and that at Sewall's Falls were both swept 
away, or injured so serioush' that they had to be replaced. 



2/6 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

It was repeated in 1869. The Contoocook was so high and the 
pressure so great against the gates at the head of the canal that in 
order to prevent any possible break a gang of men worked nearly- 
all day during the height of the freshet, strengthening the supports 
on the inside. There was a fear of an overflow, the consequences 
of which would have been disastrous; as it was, many of the occu- 
pants of the stores and tenements along the canal removed their 
goods. The precautions taken, however, prevented any break. 
The Merrimack this year reached the highest point ever attained 
on the water marks in the railroad shops at Concord. New Eng- 
land, almost from one end to the other, was devastated by floods, 
the greater damage being done at Fitchburg and Worcester, 
and 1884 again found the rivers on a rampage. The water at the 
railroad shops in Concord reached the mark of 1869. 

In 1895 there was again a great freshet which reached its high- 
est point on Easter Sunday of that year. The water was a foot 
deep in the basement of the railroad shops at Concord. In Pen- 
acook the rise was so rapid in the Merrimack that on the evening 
of April 1 1 the occupants of the tenement house opposite the rail- 
road station had to be taken away in boats. The track was 
flooded ; a strong current was running between the freight house 
and the railroad station deep enough to carry large logs. The 
latter floated down the Merrimack but were swept under the rail- 
road bridge into the Contoocook, where the current took them in 
its new channel as mentioned. The track was covered in man\' 
places between Concord and Penacook. The waters were higher 
than ever before in Penacook. 

Nearly a year later, in March, 1896, Penacook experienced, so 
far as destruction of property on the railroads is concerned, the 
most severe of the floods thus far seen in the two rivers. The ice 
on the Merrimack broke up before that on the Contoocook, and 
its waters rose more rapidl)-. When the ice on the Contoocook 
gave awa}- and went crashing down the falls between the Electric 
park and Dustin's island, it found no outlet to the larger river, as 
the waters of the Merrimack were at least two feet above the bottom 
of the two bridges. The current in the former river trended towards 
the bridge near the depot, and against this bridge thundered hun- 
dreds, possibly thousands, of tons of ice. By the force of the col- 



2/8 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

lisioii the ice was forced to the bottom of the river. An immense 
amount of it lodged here, gradually increasing in size and press- 
ing against the bridge until its top was nearly on a level with the 
roof of the latter. Here it remained until it melted. This obstruc- 
tion compelled the waters to find a new channel, and one was 
made through Dustin island, about the centre of the space between 
the two bridges. The track for a distance of about a hundred feet 
or more was swept on the opposite side, the sleepers with the rails 
attached standing on end, seemingly as a barrier between the 
waters of the two rivers. This channel was about forty feet wide, 
or thereabouts, and about twenty feet deep. 

When the waters began to rise, Mr. Nolan, the section boss, 
realizing or fearing what was to happen, wired Mr. Chamberlin 
the condition of things and the danger to the railroad bridges. 
Mr. Chamberlin came up promptly with an engine and some 
loaded coal cars ; the latter were drawn and left on the two 
bridges. At this time the water was about two feet above the 
track. Almost as soon as the engine left the end of the bridge 
next the station the track sunk out of sight. Word was also sent 
that between Penacook and Concord the roadbed had been washed 
out badly in many places, and for miles the track was completely 
submerged. Mr. Chamberlin, the engineer, the fireman, and the 
hands accompan}'ing him were obliged to return to Concord on 
the electric. The engine was stalled on the track opposite the 
station for a week, the water at times being up to the hubs of the 
wheels. 

But little work was done in the village for two or three days. 
The Contoocook river for a mile above Dustin's island was about 
as grand and picturesque a sight as can be imagined. In the rear 
of the Harris woolen mill and in the middle of the river is an im- 
mense boulder. Except at very high water it is never covered. 
It was completely submerged, however, and when the water struck 
it, as if maddened by the obstruction, it dashed in foam and spray 
fully twenty feet above its summit. A rabbit was seen on a cake 
of ice floating down the river. 

In Concord the intervales were completely covered, and long 
stretches of the track below the cit}' were completely destroyed. 
Man\' houses were injured scriousl}', and one boy, named Godfrey, 



280 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

while out in a canvas canoe, was drowned on the intervales near 
one of the culverts of the Concord & Montreal Railroad. 

On the east bank of the Merrimack, at a point about opposite 
East Concord, a curious as well as a wonderful ice cone was formed 
b}^ the rushing waters. It must have been from fifteen to twenty 
feet in height and thirt}- to fort}' feet in diameter. A photograph 
of it was taken at the time b)- Kimball brothers of Concord. One 
of the latter stood by it when the negative was taken, so those 
who view the picture can see its size. It was unlike anything ever 
seen before in this \icinit\' or elsewhere in New England, so far as 
there is any record. 

Although the railroad company saved its bridges, the one over 
the Merrimack was lost. It was evident early in the morning of 
March ist that the bridge would have to go, and in consequence 
hundreds of people were present during the afternoon and e\'ening 
and late into the night, to see its departure. It battled braveh^ for 
life. Half a mile away, up at the village, above the roar of the 
Contoocook, could be heard the pounding of the ice continually 
against its sides, as the water was several feet above its floor. To 
an old soldier it was a reminder of days gone by, for the pound- 
ing of the ice against the hollow sides of the bridge sounded like 
artillery, and the ripping and tearing off occasionally of the boards 
resembled the rattling of musketr}'. After standing the bombard- 
ing and resisting it for twelve hours, about midnight it arose and 
swam down the current as gracefully and majestically as a swan, 
stranding on the west bank of the river a short distance below the 
railroad station. This was one of the floods that will never be 
forgotten. 

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS. 

[CO.N'TIUr.UTED RV HON. JOHN C. I.INEH.AN.] 
Copyright, 1899. 

Martin Sherlock, mentioned as the first Irishman to appear in 
Penacook, while at work attending masons during the erection of 
the Penacook mill in 1846, fell from a scaffolding and broke his leg. 

When moving the machinery from the old mill to the new mill 
in 1S47, John S. Hrown fell from the third floor of the old mill to 
the ground, shattering the bones of his leg and ankle, and crip- 
pling him for life. 



ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS. 28 1 

A young married couple took a ride through the village during 
their honeymoon, in 1856. While driving down " eel" street, the 
horse became immanageable, starting on a run. W'hen opposite 
the Dustin Island Woolen mill, and just at the head of the canal, 
the hub of the carriage collided with a post. The shock threw 
the woman into the canal ; the current here is very swift, and as a 
consequence, strong. Those were the days when hoopskirts were 
in vogue, which was fortunate for her, as they kept her afloat 
with the aid of her clothing, but she was swept the whole length, 
and was taken out by the late Henry Tucker, safely, but \-ery 
moist and much frightened. A daughter of Mrs. Mary Brannan 
fell into the canal, sometime during the Civil War, at a point op- 
posite the cabinet shop. She was carried some distance under 
Andrew Linehan's store, and the Coburn and Chadwick blocks. 
The accident was witnessed by the late John Pendergast, who 
plunged after her, and following, caught and rescued her near the 
bridge across the canal, at the west end of the Penacook mill. 

In 1855 a }'oung man named Hazelton, while bathing near the 
ledge on the Boscawen side, opposite the Concord Axle Works, 
got beyond his depth, and being unable to swim, would have been 
drowned were it not for the same John Pendergast who was then 
but thirteen years old. He dove after him and succeeded, at the 
risk of his own life, in getting him out. When the half drowned 
man became conscious, he rewarded his rescuer by giving him 
t\vent\'-five cents. The latter merel}' laughed and threw the 
money back in his face. 

During the winter of 1864 two Penacook men, one a well-known 
merchant, the other one of the hands in the cabinet shop, con- 
ceived the brilliant idea of making a dollar in the way that many 
were doing at that time. By some means or other, they coaxed a 
young fellow about eighteen years of age, and at work in the shop, 
to accompany them to Portsmouth. There they put him through 
as a substitute, receiving a large sum in return. The bo}'s in the 
shop got an inkling of the affair, and a party was arranged to meet 
the two brokers on their arrival at the station. It was headed by 
a returned Californian named Thompson, who was an adept in the 
proposed scheme. When the individuals mentioned got off the 
cars, after dark, one of them was nabbed, mounted on a rail, and 



282 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

rode out of town; the other, through a friend, got wind of it and 
escaped. Nothing had occurred during the war, in the village, 
that aroused so much indignation as did this, and it extended 
from the proprietors of the shop to the smallest boy employed 
therein. If tar and feathers had been available they would have 
been put into use, and the occasion made still more picturesque. 

The late Moses H. Bean was for some time after his arrival in 
the village, early in the fifties, day watchman at the Penacook 
mill. Near the head of the canal, inside the bulkhead, and in the 
bank next to the river near the dam, is a stone sluiceway pro- 
vided with gates. When the water in the river was high, these 
gates were raised in order to let it run into the river, and relieve 
the canal of a possible overflow. At the bottom of this canal, and 
on a level with it, was a square hole through the bank to let the 
water out in case it was necessary to draw it all off. This was 
also provided with a gate. It was the watchman's duty to attend 
to these gates, morning, noon, and night. In the performance of 
this service Mr. Bean one evening while endeavoring to raise the 
gate at the bottom of the canal, and just after he had succeeded 
in doing so, lost his balance, fell into the water, and before he was 
aware of what had happened, found himself in the river, having 
been forced through the hole, between it and the canal. It was a 
narrow escape, for he was a very large man. Tradition has it, 
that when he regained consciousness, the first thing he did was to 
look at his watch, and say to himself, — 

" Gosh ! it 's going sure." 

While a lot of boys were bathing, just above the dam near its 
center, in the summer of 1864, at the time when the water was 
very low and none running over it, one of the number, John 
Fiske, son of Rev. A. W. Fiske, took a header, but remained 
down so long that his companions became alarmed. One of them, 
always noted for being a good swimmer, Andrew Linehan, fol- 
lowed him to see what the matter was. He disappeared in turn 
and just as if both were gone sure, a noise was heard below the 
dam, and there were both boys, bruised, and looking like two half 
drowned rats. When Fiske went down he was swept into the cur- 
rent, running through a hole near the bottom of the dam, and 
here he was caught and held, until Linclian followed, the latter 



ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS. 283 

being the smaller of the two, when he bumped against Fiske, 
knocked him out, and following, with the result that both found 
themselves below the dam, bruised, thoroughly frightened, but 
thankful that it was no worse. 

During the high water in the spring of 1864, Michael Linehan, 
then but nine years old, went with a man in a row boat up the 
river above the dam, to collect driftwood. Coming back, in 
some way the older person lost the oars, and getting frightened, 
jumped out and swam ashore. The boy could swim like a duck, 
but not realizing the danger and thinking to save boat and cargo, 
was doing his best to get ashore by paddling with a piece of 
board. The men in the cabinet shop saw him, and with a full 
sense of the situation, rushed up to the bank of the river, and on 
the stone-work near the bulkhead. Their appearance here was 
the first inkhng the boy's mother had of the situation. She was 
at the window on that side of the house next the river, sewing. 
Looking out she was horrified to see her son alone in the boat in 
the middle of the river, slowh' but surely drawing towards the 
dam, and working like a beaver. He had succeeded in turning 
the boat towards the small island near the head of the canal. She 
rushed down. Over a hundred persons were present, some of 
them the best swimmers in Penacook. She begged of them to 
make an attempt to save him, but all shook their heads, sa}'ing it 
was too late for he would go over before he could be reached. Of 
a sudden the form of a boy was seen running towards the water. 
It was Andrew Linehan, who was ill, and in the house. He had 
heard the noise, looked out, took in the situation, started, and as 
he neared the bank, he shrieked at the top of his voice, " Jump, 
jump, \'Ou little fool, jump," at the same time plunging into the 
river, and striking out for his brother. The little fellow heard the 
command, threw away his impromptu paddle, jumped into the 
water, and facing Andrew, swam for his life. For a few minutes 
ever)'one held their breath. None dared to believe he could save 
him, and then a mighty shout arose, for he had reached him, and 
placing himself between him and the dam swam to the island 
mentioned, striking it not twenty feet above the mass of seething 
water below the dam, which boiled and roared and foamed as if 
enraged at the loss of its prey. All went up to congratulate the 



284 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

brave boy, but completely exhausted by his efforts, as well as the 
strain caused by the danger to which he knew both were exposed, 
he burst out crying and went home. He was not then fourteen 
years old. Michael, however, took it cooll}' as if it was an cver}-- 
day occurrence, and carried off all the honors. 

In the fall of the same year a little girl, daughter of Thomas 
Sawyer, who was a veteran of the Seventh New Hampshire, fell 
into the canal at its head and outside the rack leading to the 
gate-house. Andrew Linehan happened to be in the house. The 
accident was seen by several women, who ran and told the child's 
mother. She rushed into Linehan's house, which was next door, 
and told Andrew. He ran down to the river, plunged in without 
a moment's hesitation, and brought the body out, but it was too 
late ; life was extinct, and respiration could not be restored. 

Before the enactment of laws forbidding the throwing of the 
refuse of mills into the river, the water at the end of the canal 
near where the bridge crosses, leading to the axle works, used to 
be covered with sawdust. One Sunday afternoon in summer, in 
1865 or '66, several young Hibernians were going down to visit 
a neighbor in " California". One of the number was a recent im- 
portation. As they approached the bridge mentioned, this young 
man who prided himself on his athletic powers, burst out " Boys, 
I can bate the divil lepping," and before the others knew what he 
was about, he took a run and jumped into the middle of what he 
supposed to be a bed of sawdust. A more surprised crowd ne\'er 
lived. Luckil)' the "lepper" could swim, but his experience here 
taught him the value of the old adage, "Look before }-ou leap," 
and at the same time showed the difference in taste between saw- 
dust and oatmeal. 

PEXACOOK MEN HONORED. 

[CONTIUKUTED 1!V IIOX. JOHN C. LINEHAN.] 

Among the men, residents of Penacook, at one time or another, 
who have been honored in times past by being selected to fill va- 
rious positions of honor outside of the village, have been S. M. 
Wheeler, who practised law here in 1850. He removed from 
Penacook to Dover, residing there until the time of his death. He 
represented Dover in the state legislature, was speaker of the 



PENACOOK MEN HONORED. 285 

house and credited with being one of the most competent as well 
as one of the most accomplished men that ever filled the place. 
Hon. James F. Briggs, of Manchester, resided here at one 
time with his mother. She occupied the house on Canal street 
now owned by Andrew Spearman. Mr. Briggs practised law in 
Hillsborough and Manchester. He was quartermaster of the 
Eleventh regiment in the Civil War, and served two terms in the 
national house of representatives. He was speaker of the house 
of representatives at the session of 1897 o^ the New Hampshire 
legislature. Nathaniel B. Baker, son of a Penacook man, was 
governor of New Hampshire and adjutant-general of Iowa during 
the Rebellion. Hon. N. Butler, for many years a resident of the 
village, was judge of probate for Merrimack county, holding the 
position at the time he died. Col. Abial Rolfe served on the staff 
of Gov. Ichabod Goodwin with the rank of colonel during the 
two years preceding the Civil War, the only man from Penacook 
who ever held this position. Dr. A. E. Emery is a member of 
the board of pension examiners of Concord. Hon. Chas. H. 
Amsden, Hon. John Whitaker, Hon. John C. Pearson, Hon. Ed- 
mund H. Brown, and Hon. Willis G. Buxton represented their 
respective districts in the state senate and Hon. Charles A. Morse, 
now of Newmarket, a former Penacook boy, was this year state 
senator. Hon. E. N. Pearson, son of Hon. John C. Pearson, has 
but recently been elected secretary of state. George S. Morrill 
was for some years chief engineer of the Old Colony Railroad. 
Cyrus Wellington, who was a doffer in the Penacook mill in 1854- 
'55, has been for years the leading criminal lawyer in St. Paul, 
Minn. John G. Butler is the cashier of the Pillsbury-Washburne 
Milling Company in Minneapolis. John J. Linehan is a stock- 
holder and director in the Bay State Corset Co., Springfield, 
Mass. D. H. Putnam of Boston is selling agent for several man- 
ufacturing corporations. Da\'id D. Smith is or was a professor in 
the dental college in Philadelphia. His brother, Albert L. Smith, 
is a member of the Board of Education in Worcester, Mass. The 
latter was an old time overseer in the Penacook mill, the former 
was in the Sixteenth New Hampshire Volunteers ; both were 
brothers-in-law of Albert N. Drown. Hon. John C. Linehan 
served in Governor Sawyer's council in '87 and '88 ; he was ap- 



2 86 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

pointed insurance commissioner by Governor Goodell in 1890 and 
reappointed by Governors Smith and Busiel in 1893 and 1896; 
also trustee of New Hampshire Industrial school since 1885, and 
now president of the board. Harvey Campbell served some years 
as register of deeds for Merrimack count}', a position filled at the 
present time and for some }-ears past by Samuel N. Brown. Hon. 
Charles H. Amsden was nominated for governor twice. Hon. 
Benj. A. Kimball of Concord, born in the village, has been for 
many years the leading railroad manager of the state, also bank 
president. Hon. John Kimball, a former resident, has been 
mayor of Concord, state senator, bank manager, etc. 

Rev. Dr. Wm. J. Tucker, who resided at Penacook from 1863 
to 1874, with his father (by adoption) Rev. Wm. R. Jewett, and 
who preached many times at the Congregational church from 
1865 to 1869, has since become one of the leading minds of that 
denomination in the United States, and is now president of Dart- 
mouth College. 

ACCIDENTAL DEATHS. 

April 23, 18 1 2. Richard Kimball and Jeremiah Abbott under- 
took to run the falls of the Contoocook river in a boat from the 
Borough to the Merrimack river; both were drowned, and the 
bodies were recovered near the bridge which crossed the river just 
north of the present Axle Works. 

May 25, 1817, an infant son of Squire Wm. H. Gage was 
drowned in the canal opposite the present saw shop, and the body 
recovered nine days later in the Merrimack river, seven miles 
distant. 

Nov. 19, 1846. Three men, laborers on the Northern railroad, 
were buried by the caving in of the sand bank near the railroad 
bridge ; two were taken out alive, but the third, Patrick Martin, 
was killed. 

May 4, 1848. Robert Hall was crushed to death in the water 
wheel' gearing of the match shop of Jeremiah Fowler, at the 
Borough. 

March 31, 1849. A young man named Swett, employed by 
John Coburn, whose nickname was " Shoemaker," ventured out 
on the upper pond and was carried over the Penacook dam and 



ACCIDENTAL DEATHS. 287 

drowned ; his body was recovered from the Merrimack river 
]\Iay 5. 

October 15, 1851. Philip C. Hunt was caught in a belt and 
carried around the shafting in the Contoocook mill, mangling one 
leg and one arm badly, from which he never fully recovered, but 
lived until Januar}- i i, 1858. 

Others who lost their lives by drowning were a Hurst girl, who 
fell into the outlet in 1852 ; Geo. W. Gage, aged seven, a son of 
Calvin Gage was drowned in the canal on Commercial street, Au- 
gust 8, 1854; Edward, aged five, son of H. H. Amsden, was 
drowned in the canal at the cabinet shop June 9, 1858; a son of 
Richard Crowthcr and a son of Thomas Healey were both 
drowned in the canal, the first about i860, and the latter during 
the war. Thomas Healey was a soldier in the Seventh regiment. 
New Hampshire Volunteers, and died of wounds in the hands of 
the encni}'. 

A daughter of Thomas Sawyer, also a soldier of the Seventh 
regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, was drowned at the head 
of the canal about 1864. 

A French boy was drowned in the Contoocook, near the bath- 
ing place at the upper ledge, and two Canadians were drowned 
near the bridge over the Merrimack not far from the same time, 
about 1865. 

More recent drowning accidents were those of the Tucker boy 
near the twin bridges; and the son of O. J. Fifield, who lost his 
life while skating on the pond near the Holden mill in the winter 
of 1 89 1. 

Some other fatal accidents were as follows: James H. Marsh, 
aged si.xty-three, was killed b}' the fall of a tree Januar}' 9, 1864; 
George Kenney was killed on the Northern railroad, November 
24, 1867; Jacob Whidden, who built the dwelling at the north- 
east corner of Summer and Cross streets, was thrown from his car- 
riage and killed August i, 1870. An earlier carriage accident 
caused the death of Albert Ames, the senior member of the firm 
of Ames, Gerrish & Co., iron founders. This was soon after 1850. 

Frank, a young son of G. W. Wadleigh, was killed b}- the cars 
near the flour mill April 5, 1864. 

Joshua S. Bean, a teamster, was crushed to death b}' the fall of 



288 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

a bale of cotton from his wagon, while unloading at the Pena- 
cook mill. This occurred October 17, 1871. 

John Young was caught on the shafting in the Penacook niill^ 
and killed December 29, i860. 

John H. Oilman was killed while blasting rocks, June 26, 1863. 

James Connor, a stone mason, met his death from the effects of 
a collision on the bridge. 

James Garvey, who served in the navy during the Civil War, 
was killed by the caving in of a bank at Contoocook River Park 
on October 21 , 1894. 

A young son of John Gahagan was run over by an ox team 
and killed, near the family homestead on Main street. 

Joseph Carpenter, a Canadian, fell over the rocky bank of the 
Contoocook river, opposite the Concord Axle Works, and was 
killed. 

A child of Royal D. Scales was suffocated by falling into a 
barrel of soft soap, in 1878 or 1879. 

Three persons have been killed by falling down elevator wells ; 
first, David Morrill, son of Arey Morrill, one of the early resi- 
dents of the village, fell down the elevator well of the Contoocook 
mill about 1847, and died from the effects of his injuries soon 
after. 

John Owens was killed in a similar accident at the cabinet shop 
in 1873 or '74. The third was Alfred Elliott, a veteran of the 
Sixteenth regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, who was the 
night watchman at the cabinet shop. He fell down the elevator 
well and his dead body was found at the bottom on the morning of 
July 19, 1893. 

A Scotch woman, in 1864 or thereabouts, while trying to return 
to the village in the night from the Borough, got bewildered in a 
snowstorm, became exhausted, fell and was frozen to death 
beside the main road, a few rods below Willow hollow. 

There have been seven cases of suicide recorded as follows : 
Eliza Eastman, a domestic, who deliberately walked into the river 
from the bank opposite Foote & Brown's store. This was in the 
year 1862. 

Royal D. Scales, a veteran of the Third regiment, New Hamp- 
shire Volunteers, drowned himself in the Merrimack river; his 



ACCIDENTAL DEATHS. 289 

body was found a short distance above Sewall's Falls bridge, with 
a rope tied around his neck, to the other end of which a large 
stone was attached ; this occurred not long after the loss of his 
child, previously mentioned in this article, and which loss was 
probably the cause of his suicide. 

Charles C. Bean, one of the most useful of the village citizens, 
and a prominent member of the Methodist church and choir, 
while under great mental depression, causing temporary insanity, 
shot hinT^elf with a revolver, April 21, 1886. 

Two other cases were those of a husband and wife, one by 
hanging and the other by drowning. 

A woman named Sleeper, who lix^ed near Woodlawn cemetery, 
took her life by cutting her throat. 

J. Scott Durgin, youngest son of ]\Iaj. J. S. Durgin, and a vet- 
eran of the Eighteenth regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, re- 
turned from the war broken in health, and while suffering from an 
attack of insanity, shot himself fatally on April 28, 1870. 

On January 24, 1901, Wilbur Sweatt, aged 22 years, son of 
Walter E. Sweatt, was accidentall}^ stabbed in the breast by his 
friend, Fred Carr, while playing with a knife. Sweatt died Febru- 
ary 6, and a post-mortem examination showed that the knife had 
pierced the lung and cut one half inch into his heart. It was con- 
sidered a wonderful case that he could have lived so lone with 

o 

such a wound. 

Accidents and damage by lightning have been of rare occur- 
rence in the village, but one very serious case of that kind 
occurred in 1892, at the residence of B. Frank Varney, then liv- 
ing at the Borough on the place since occupied by Eli Hanson. 
At five o'clock in the morning, while Mr. Varney and two young 
men, Harry and Ralph Gray, were in the barn to feed the horses, 
during a heavy shower the lightning struck the roof of the barn 
and shot down directly where the men were standing. A part of 
the bolt struck Harry Gray, scorching his arm and leg severely, 
and splitting his shoes from heel to toe into strings like lace leather. 
The current struck Ralph on the ear, ran down his back and leg, 
passing out through his shoe, taking one quarter of the shoe along. 
Mr. Varne}' was standing within three feet of the young men, and 
though somewhat dazed by the shock, was not otherwise injured. 



290 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

The barn was set on fire, and Mr. Varney first carried out the 
young men, and then took out nine horses, and lost but one horse 
and one hog. The fire completely destroyed the barn and dwell- 
ing-house. Harry Gray was laid up two months, and Ralph for 
four months, before they were able to get at work again. 



CHAPTER VII. 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 
DEA. HENRY H. BROWN. 

Henry Hayes Brown, son of Deacon David and Eunice 
(Hayes) Brown, was born at Seekonk, Mass., June 17, 1805, 
his first ancestor in this country being Peter Brown, one of the 
Afayfozvcr Pilgrims, who landed at Ph'mouth in 1620. He was 
the oldest of a large family of children, and early learned what 
work meant. His schooling was limited to the district school of 
a farming town, but he learned thoroughly there reading, writing, 
spelling, and arithmetic, and before his majority was enabled to 
keep the district school two winters in his own district. At six- 
teen years of age he began learning his trade of his father as a 
stone mason. In four years he earned enough by working extra 
evenings to buy his time of his father when twenty years of age. 
When eighteen years old, he joined the Baptist church at See- 
konk, Mass., and continued a member of that denomination dur- 
ing life. At the age of twenty-two he went into business for him- 
self as a mason and builder, and shortly after took his next 
younger brother, John, into company with him, which partnership 
continued for forty years. At twenty-five years of age he built 
for other parties a stone mill at Attleboro, Mass., and at its com- 
pletion he, with his brother John, leased the mill, and began the 
business of manufacturing cotton cloth, which proved to be their 
life-work. 

In 1836 Henry married Mary Ann Daggett, of Surry, N. H., 
who bore him seven children, three of whom are living in 1899, 
— D. Arthur Brown and Mrs. Isabel N. Moore of Penacook, and 
Mrs. Mary L. Caldwell of Wellesley, Mass. In 1843 he moved 
his family to Fisherville, N. H., M'here he resided during the 



DEA. HENRY II. BROWN. 



291 



remainder of his life, having leased the Contoocook mill in 1841, 
where he continued the cotton manufacturing business. 

In 1846 the brothers, H. H. and J. S., built for the Contoocook 
Manufacturing and Mechanic Co., the Penacook mill, and on its 
completion leased that mill also — their business being for many 
years the leading industry of the village. 




Dea. Hic.NKY H. Brown. 



Henry was one of the original members of the First Baptist 
church and society, and served until his death in the ofhce of 
deacon. He was also superintendent of the Sunday-school most 
of the time while he lived. 

In 1852 his wife died and in 1856 he married Widow Lucretia 
Sabin, by w^hom he had one son, Hon. Edmund H. Brown of 
Penacook, now living (1899). 



292 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

Deacon Brown was a man of fine personal presence, about 
five feet, ten inches in height, weighing about two hundred 
pounds. He was a man of good mechanical abilities, excellent 
judgment, and eminently successful as a manager of men and 
business affairs. 

His was a genial, happy temperament, alwa}^s cheerful and 
helpful to all who came in contact with him. Of firm convictions 
and strict observance of his own duties, he was diffident about 
urging others to conform to his views, alwa}'s charitable of others' 
conduct, while guarding his own rigidly. He was a modest man, 
never caring for political preferment, though always taking an 
earnest interest in political affairs; a kind, sympathetic man to 
whom his friends and neighbors often went for advice and assist- 
ance. Of the strictest integrity in all his dealings, he was trusted 
implicitly by all who knew him. 

His home for many years was the ministers' tavern of the vil- 
lage, and there were few clergymen in this vicinity who did not 
enjoy his hospitality. For some years his house was a station of 
the underground railroad, on which fugitive slaves traveled from 
the Southern slave states to freedom in Canada. The writer 
distinctly remembers seeing colored men come to the house in 
the evening, where they were sure to get a good supper, a good 
bed, and something to carry along when starting by night for the 
next station. 

He was a strict teetotaler, and gave freely of his means and 
influence to help the temperance cause. 

His benevolence embraced all worthy objects, but was most 
largely exercised for the church and educational objects. His 
contributions must have amounted to a large sum, but how large 
it would be impossible to ascertain, as he was particularly reticent 
about such matters. 

He will be held in grateful remembrance by the citizens who 
enjoy the shade of the beautiful elm and maple trees in this 
village, as the larger part of those trees were planted by his 
personal direction. 

Mr. Brown was a very industrious man, working early and late; 
for many years he went to the mills and inspected all depart- 
ments before any of the overseers or operatives came in for the 



WARREN JOHNSON. 293 

day's work. He also went to his office for evening work much of 
the time. His constant labors, with hardly any recreations, 
undoubtedly shortened his life; his health began to fail in 1870, 
and he died in 1873 at Martha's Vineyard, where he had spent 
the summer. His body was brought to his home for burial, and 
his funeral was attended by a very large number of the citizens. 
His body was interred in the family lot at VVoodlawn cemetery. 

WARREN JOHNSON. 
' [CONTRIBUTED BY REV. MILLARD F. JOHNSON.] 

Warren Johnson, a descendant from Edmund Johnson of 
Hampton, N. H., 1639, and son of Elisha and Ruth (Elkins) 
Johnson, was born in Northwood, N. H., February 5, 1800. He 
was one of eight children. The family needed the help of all its 
members to secure a living; Warren w^as bound out to learn the 
trade of blacksmith in Deerfield, N. H., when about sixteen years 
of age. It was while working here that he became intimate with 
the family of the late Gen. B. F. Butler. 

After his apprenticeship was over he married Mercy Sanborn 
of Springfield, N. H., and came to live on the Boscawen side of 
the river in Penacook. He built a blacksmith shop on Eel street 
(now Water street) and a dwelling-house on the hill overlooking 
the shop and the Contoocook valley. He did a general business, 
including horseshoeing and repairing. He made a specialty of 
making axes and sharpening edge tools. At a later period he 
made steel skates, which were in great demand. The old resi- 
dents speak of him as an excellent blacksmith. After replacing 
the shop that was burned by a brick building, he put in a trip- 
hammer and forged the first wagon axles ever fashioned in this 
neighborhood. He did most of the iron work when the Contoo- 
cook mill was erected and set in operation. During his residence 
here his wife died, also two children, leaving three others who 
still survive (1899). He married, in 1841, Sarah A. Sargent of 
Canterbury, N. H., one of whose three children now survives 

(1899). 

Mr. Johnson moved from Penacook to Springfield, N. H., in 
1847, where he engaged in lumber business and farming. In 



294 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



1852 the family moved to Lawrence, Mass., then a town. He 
worked in fitting up the mills then building on the banks of the 
Merrimack. He continued blacksmithing there until 1857 when 
he went back to New Hampshire, settling in Andover, where he 
did carpenter work and painting. In 1859 he returned to forge 
axles in his old shop, then owned by B. F. Gage, and soon after 
he lived in his old house on the hill. He received a severe injury 
to his hand in the early sixties, and in 1864 was very ill with 
pneumonia. 




Warren Johnson. 

After his recovery he went to work in the Concord Axle 
Works, owned by D. Arthur Brown & Co. Here, for about 
twelve years he wrought at the trip-hammer and at the forge, 
until failing eyesight caused him to relinquish his work before the 
fire at the age of seventy-five years. Mr. Johnson had consider- 
able inventive genius, and in exercising it he devised many 



REV. ALBERT W. FISKE. 295 

improved methods of turning out axles, some of which are now 
in use; he invented also some articles which he patented. He 
spent the remainder of his life in miscellaneous pursuits. He 
died in September, 1881. 

He united with the Christian church in 18 18, and continued in 
church relations the rest of his life. He was a sergeant of artil- 
lery in the "Old Militia"; he joined the Home Guards in 1861. 
He was a Democrat of the old school and followed " Old 
Hickory." 

In 1855 he said his party went off and left him, and he found 
the new Republican party occupying the ground, holding to his 
faith and working for human freedom. He voted for John C. 
Fremont and for every presidential candidate of the Republican 
party until his death. 

He was an earnest advocate for liberty, temperance, good 
morals, and the general welfare of the town, the state, and the 
nation. He lived and died one of the "plain people" whom 
Lincoln declared that the Lord must have loved because he made 
so many of them. 

REV. ALBERT \V. FISKE. 

[CONTRIBUTED BV M. ANNA FISKE ] 

Rev. Albert William Fiske was born in Upton, Mass., January 
16, 1802. He fitted for college at Wrentham (Mass.) Academy. 
He graduated from Brown University, Providence, R. L, in 1829, 
and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1832. He began to 
preach in Alfred, INLaine, September 30, 1832, and continued as 
acting pastor until May 12, 1844, a service of twelve }'ears and 
three months. 

He next removed to Scarborough, Maine, laboring there three 
years and three months. He was installed as pastor of the First 
Congregational church at Kittery, Maine, July 18, 1850, and after 
a service of seven years resigned April i, 1867. 

He began to preach in Fisherville, N. H., December 21, 1856, 
and was dismissed from the pastorate October 16, 1863, his term 
of service being six years and six months. He afterwards sup- 
plied for short periods at the churches in Center Harbor, 
Boscavven, Warner, Groton, and Barnstead, N. H. Mr. Fiske 



296 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK, 




Rev. Albert W. Fiske. 

published, January i, 1880, a book of miscellaneous articles enti- 
tled "A New Year Offering." He died in Penacook, December 
2, 1892, in the ninetieth year of his age. 

One daughter is the only member of his family now remaining 
in the villacre and residine at the homestead on Summer street. 



CAPT. HENRY ROLFE. 

[CONTRIBUTED 15V MRS. A. W. ROLFK.] 

. Capt. Henry Rolfe was born in Concord (FishervMlle), August 
31, 1785, in a house then standing on the west side of the street 
directly opposite where the passenger station in Penacook now 
stands. He was the great-grandson of Henry Rolfe of Newbury 
(Mass.), who was one of the original proprietors of Pennycook, 



CAPT. HENRY ROLFE. 



297 



now Concord. The house in which he was born was built in 
1774, and is now standing a Httle south of its first location. It is 
in fair condition, is occupied by a tenant, and still in possession 
of Mr. Rolfe's descendants. Mr. Rolfe inherited from his father 
nearly all of the land between the Boscawen town line and the 
sandbanks, so called, and from the Merrimack river west to what 
is now Main street. This property came into possession of the fam- 
ily by allotment and purchase between the years 1726 and 1800, 
and as it included so large a part of what is now the village of 
Penacook, he was necessarily prominent in its early history and 
enterprises. He was largely interested in farming and manufac- 
turing until his death, which occurred May 29, 1859. He re- 
ceived his military title as captain in the famous Eleventh regi- 




Capt. Henry Rolfe. 



298 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

ment of the New Hampshire mihtia. He ahvays took an active 
part in rehgious and educational matters, and in everything per- 
taining to the welfare of the village. 

CHARLES P. SHEPARD. 

Charles Pearson Shepard, son of Jonathan C. and Almeda 
(Pearson) Shepard, was born in Grafton, N. H., February 26, 
1842. His maternal grandfather was Phineas B. Pearson, a long 
time resident of the village, and a manufacturer of wagons, 
sleighs, etc., whose wiie was a daughter of Dr. Sayles of Grafton, 
N. H. On his father's side, his grandfather was Israel Shepard ; 
great-grandfather, Daniel Shepard, a soldier under Stark at Ben- 
nington, who also marched with other Boscawen soldiers to 
Lexington, Mass., at the outbreak of the Revolution, and was 
wounded in action ; his great-great-grandfather, Israel Shepard, 
was a soldier in the French and Indian War of 1757— 1759, so it 
seems that Mr. Shepard is descended from good patriotic stock. 
The family moved to Penacook when Charles was about five years 
old. He attended the district schools, also the high school of J. 
Eastman Pecker, where he was a classmate of George S. Morrill, 
the eminent civil engineer for many years employed on the Old 
Colony railroad of Massachusetts. He finished his school dax's at 
the Boscawen Academy, under the instruction of Professor Tcnnc}'. 
Mr. Shepard says, " I left that school in a hurry, for I heard the 
call of my country and felt that my duty was with her." He en- 
listed August 30, i86r, in Company E, Bcrdan's U. S. Sharp- 
shooters, and went immediately to the front, where he was in 
active service until July i, 1862, when at the Battle of Malvern 
Hill, Va., the last of the seven days' engagements, he was shot 
through the abdomen by a minie ball, which went straight 
through his body, as he says, " letting daylight shine through me." 
Strange to say he did not immediately fall, but two comrades car- 
ried him back out of action and left him for dead on the field. 
He had, however, only fainted, and after regaining consciousness 
he was picked up by the ambulance corps and carrried to the 
battle-field hospital ; there the surgeon in charge probed the wound, 
shook his head, and had Shepard put away with the mortally 
wounded, where he was once more left to die. The next morning 



CHARLES P. SHEPARD. 



299 



" it rained hot water," and that he thinks saved his Hfe, as he was 
burning up with fever. He says, "I can remember now how good 
it felt to be well soaked with rain." It revived him so much that 
with the help of a musket which he used for a crutch, he started 
out for " God's country" all by himself. He traveled about three 
miles in that way when he met a wagonmaster from Canterbury 




Charles P. Shei-ard. 



whom he knew, and who procured a place for him in an ambulance 
which carried him to the ambulance boat on the James river. 
The wagonmaster also gave him something from his flask for re- 
freshment on the road. He was put on board of a boat bound 
for Washington, placed down in the hold where the wounded were 
packed like sardines in a box. He was stripped of his clothing, 
money, and everything he had about him, and he then fainted 



300 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

again and knew nothing more until the boat reached Washington — 
there he waked up and found himself left alone as dead. He 
thinks that it was 4th of July morning that brought him to life 
again ; he managed to crawl out of the boat and was starting to 
find better quarters, and soon met two government clerks who 
proved to be Good Samaritans indeed ; they placed him on a 
stretcher and covered him with some of their own clothes, as he 
had none ; then they carried him some two miles to a church 
which was in use as a hospital, and put him in the care of doctors 
and nurses; they also wrote home for him, informing his parents 
that he was mortally wounded. The manager of that hospital 
reported his case to the surgeon-general, who caused his removal 
to an officers' hospital at Georgetown, D.C. ; there he was treated for 
four months and was then able to travel, and came home, having 
been honorably discharged from the army, October 6, 1862, for 
disability. For some years after his return to Penacook his con- 
dition was such that he could not stand erect, and he regained 
health but slowly. After recovering so that he could engage in 
business, he moved to Manchester, where he engaged in the res- 
taurant business. Mr. Shepard remained in Manchester six years, 
then in Boston and vicinity three years, and then came to Concord, 
N. H., where he remained in business twelve years. During his 
later years at Concord he secured a farm on Knowlton's hill about 
one and one half miles west of Penacook, where he spent an in- 
creasing amount of his time, until he finally gave up his place at 
Concord and became a farmer " for keeps." He found, however, 
that this was not all plain sailing, for a few years later he met a savage 
bull, which made an unexpected and furious attack, and gored him 
fearfully, tearing one leg terribly, so that it was currently reported 
that Mr. Shepard could never recover. It was a year or more 
before he could use the injured leg at all, but he has recovered so 
far as to be able to walk on it, although he will always be lame. 
Such a case of wonderful vitality and endurance is seldom 
recorded. 

Mr. Shepard has an unusually cheerful and happ)' disposition ; no 
condition is so dark to him that he cannot joke and laugh about 
it; from boyhood he has been noted for his wit and humor, and 
can still make particular!)' happy remarks at Grand Army meet- 



ISAAC K. GAGE. 3OI 

ings and similar entertainments. Before the war Mr. Shepard was 
a member of the Fisherville Cornet Band, playing the bass drum; 
he was also for a time a member of the Baptist choir, and is still 
an attendant at that church. 

Mr. Shepard is a member of Sturtevant Post, No. 2, G. A. R., 
at Concord ; a member of the Sharpshooters' Veteran Associa- 
tion at The Weirs ; also a prominent member of the Odd Fellows 
and the Grange. 

Mr. Shepard was first married in 1871 to Martha Webster of 
Center Harbor, N. H., by whom he had two daughters; she died 
in 1876. In 1882 he married Carrie J. Evans of Manchester, who 
died in 1897, leaving no children. Mr. Shepard now says : " I am 
not sorry that I gave of my blood, and the best years of my life 
to sustain the Old Flag; my country is all the better for it; I am 
satisfied, content." 

ISAAC KIMBALL GAGE. 

Isaac Kimball Gage was born October 27, 1818, the third child 
of William Haseltine and Polly (Morrison) Gage. His early 
education was obtained in the district schools and at Boscawen 
and Franklin academies. In 1841 he went into business with 
Luther G. Johnson, succeeding Jeremiah Kimball, at the old store 
opposite the old hotel, and remained in trade there nine years. 
In 1850 he removed to Lawrence, Mass., and for four years was 
in the employ of the Essex companj^ there. Returning to Fish- 
erville in 1854, he organized the firm of Gage, Porter & Co., saw 
manufacturers, of which firm he was the managing partner for 
twenty-eight years. In 1857 he began the insurance agcnc}^ busi- 
ness, and continued that line during the remainder of his life, in 
the later years the firm name being Gage, Buxton & Co. 

He was also an extensive landed proprietor, farmer, and dairy- 
man. Public spirited and popular, Mr. Gage was prominent in 
all affairs of his da}'. A list of some of the ofifices which he held 
shows the variety and extent of his interests. Ensign in the state 
militia in 1839; postmaster of P'isherville, 1846 to 1850; justice 
of the peace from 1846 during life; member of the first common 
council of Lawrence in 1852, and president of that body in 1853 ; 
treasurer of the New England Agricultural Society, 1 865-1 869; 



302 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



member of the constitutional convention in iS/6; notary public 
from 1883 during life; trustee of Penacook Academy during the 
existence of that school, also holding office in his school district 
much of the time ; secretary of the New Hampshire Orphans' 
Home from its establishment until his death; president of the 
Penacook Savings Bank during its existence ; a leading member 




Isaac K. Gage. 



of the New Hampshire Historical Society from 1872. The degree 
of A. M. was conferred on him by Dartmouth College in 1876. 

In politics Mr. Gage was a steadfast and active Democrat, 
working in all honorable ways for the success of his party. 

Mr. Gage did considerable work in the settlement of estates. 

He was a constant attendant at the services of the Congrega- 
tional church, and a liberal supporter of its interests. Always 



HON. WILLIAM H. GAGE. 303 

alive to all public improvements, he promoted in various ways the 
best interests of his town and village. His services in the estab- 
lishment of the Pcnacook & Boscawen Water-Works are worthy 
of special note. 

On October 27, 1842, Mr. Gage married Susan G. Johnson, 
and in 1892 they celebrated their golden wedding. They had six 
children, three of whom are living, — Frederick J. Gage, a mer- 
chant of Boston, Mass. ; Georgianna, wife of Abial W. Rolfe, and 
Lucy, who resides at the old homestead with her mother. Mr. 
Gage died September 10, 1894, and was buried in Boscawen cem- 
eter}'. 

HON. WILLIAM H. GAGE. 

William Haseltine Gage was born in Sanbornton, N. H., March 
21, 1 791. When thirteen years old, in 1804, he came to Fisher- 
ville, and entered the employ of Col. Isaac Chandler, on the farm 
occupying the southeast corner of the town of Boscawen, which 
farm, after the death of Colonel Chandler in 1826, came into 
possession of Mr. Gage. After remaining with Colonel Chandler 
four years he returned to Sanbornton to learn the business of 
cloth dressing. He worked there four }'ears, learning the trade, 
and returned to Fisherville in 18 12. There had been a wool- 
carding and cloth-dressing mill at the lower falls for several years, 
the proprietors of which died in the spring of that year. Mr. 
Gage secured that mill privilege, and put up a two-story wooden 
building, in which he put cards, finishing machiner}', and a few 
looms, and did quite a flourishing business there for over twenty- 
one years. This mill is still standing, and is occupied for office 
and storehouse at the Dustin Island Woolen Mills. Mr. Gage, in 
company with his brother Richard, took up the lumber business, 
operating a sawmill located on the ground now covered by the 
Stratton & Co. corn mill. He continued the carding mill busi- 
ness until 1833, and the lumber business a little longer, after 
which he gave his attention to farming and stock raising. 

Mr. Gage was a justice of the peace for many years, and was 
generally called Squire Bill Gage. He was a sort of country 
people's law}'er, and did considerable work in drawing up deeds, 
leases, agreements, and the like, for the neighborhood. He was 



504 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 




Hon. William H. Gage. 



a man of strict integrity, and cnjo)'cd the confidence and esteem 
of a wide circle of friends. 

Mr. Gage in his poHtical views differed from a majority of the 
citizens of his town, being a Democrat, but was so universally 
esteemed that party lines were forgotten, and the man, not the 
politician, was elected as representative in 1833 and in 1836. 
He served frequently as selectman, was elected road commissioner 
for the county in i84i-'42, and a member of the state senate in 
1846, 1847, 1848. 

He enjoyed the friendship of Daniel Webster, who often called 
at the Gage homestead on his way from Concord to Franklin, 
lie was social and kind to all, given to hospitality, and a firm 
supporter of religious and educational institutions. 

For several years before his death Mr. Gage kept a diary,. 



REV. EDMUND WORTH. 



J^D 



which shows a record of all notable events, — deaths, marriages, 
weather, etc., — and each Sunday shows where he went to church 
(or why he stayed at home), the preacher's name and his text. 
This diary, which is now in possession of Miss Lucy Gage, has 
furnished much information for use in compiling this history. 
His early education was (juitc limited, so that he was obliged to 
educate himself as he could find opportunity during the years of 
his active business life. This probably awakened the desire to do 
what he could to promote the education of his children and the 
community. He was active in the establishment of Pcnacook 
Academy, conveying two acres of land to the institution as a free 
gift, and contributing liberally towards the erection of the buildings. 
Mr. Gage married Polly Morrison of Sanbornton, January 25, 
1 8 14, by whom he had six children, only one of whom is living, — 
Asa M. Gage, who resides on the old homestead. His wife died 
in 1833, and he took for his second wife Sarah Sargent of Can- 
terbury, by whom he had one daughter, Mrs. Polly R. Mann, 
now residing in the village. Mr. Gage died September 26, 1872, 
and was buried in Boscawen cemetery. 

REV. EDMUND WORTH. 

Edmund Worth, son of Edmund and Mary Morse Worth, was 
born at West Newbury, Mass., October 12, 1804. Quite early in 
life he accepted for himself the Saviour whom afterward he loved 
to commend to others as the only Redeemer of lost men. Hav- 
ing decided to yield to what he believed to be a call from God to 
the work of the Christian ministry, he entered upon a course of 
study at the New Hampton Literary and Theological Institution 
at New Hampton, N. H. At the termination of his studies there 
he received a call to the pastorate of the Baptist church at Hebron, 
N. H. He was ordained there in 1830 and served that church as 
pastor for four years. In November, 1831, he married Amelia A. 
Morse of East HaVerhill, Mass., by whom he had three children, 
Amelia, Edmund, and Harriet E. Amelia, the oldest daughter, 
was never married but resided with her parents during life. Ed- 
mund resides in San Francisco, Cal., having a wife and two chil- 
dren. Harriet E., wife of H. V. Curtis, Esq., resides at Kenne- 
bunk, Maine, having three sons. 
21 



306 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



During his residence at Hebron Mr. Worth became impressed 
with the need of a Baptist paper in New Hampshire, and at the 
close of his work at Hebron he moved to Concord, N. H., and 
estabhshed the Baptist Register, serving as editor for about 
twelve years, and preaching much of the time in Concord and 
neighboring towns. In i 845 he began his work in this village as 




Rev. Edmund Worth. 



the first pastor of the First Baptist church. In this pastorate he 
did excellent work, and saw his church gro'w in numbers and 
strength rapidly. Besides his pastoral work in this village he was 
much engaged in all the interests of the place, especially in the 
schools, to which he gave valuable assistance. He was universally 
beloved, respected, and esteemed by the citizens for his estimable 
Christian character and his sympathetic, helpful life. I\Ir. Worth 



ABNER B. WINN. 307 

again did editorial work on the Baptist Observe)-, of Concord, 
about 1853-54. In 1856 he accepted a call to the pastorate of 
the Baptist church at Kenncbunk, Maine. While there he early- 
identified himself with all the work of the church in the state. He 
took a deep interest in the Baptist paper of Maine and contributed 
frequently to its columns. In the work of the state convention he 
took an active part. From the meetings of the board he was sel- 
dom absent, and was ever ready to assist the smaller churches of 
the state. In i860 he was chosen to preach the annual sermon 
before the Maine Baptist Missionary Society. And in 1868 he 
was called to preach the centennial sermon for the Baptist church 
of North Berwick, Maine. This discourse was printed, and made 
a valuable contribution to the early history of the Baptist church in 
Maine. Ha\'ing served the Kennebunk church as pastor for 
thirty-three years, Mr. Worth resigned the pastorate in June, 1889, 
being then eighty-five years of age. He continued, however, to 
give the church much valuable service during the remainder of his 
life. His last public service was at the ordination of Rev. William 
Clements at Wells Depot, December 13, 1894, on which occasion 
he delivered the charge to the candidate. It was so weighty in its 
suggestions that the brethren present requested its publication. 
Mr. Worth was then in his ninety-first year, and this charge 
showed that his mental powers had not been impaired. During 
his life as pastor, Father Worth baptized two hundred and seventy- 
two persons; he also married one hundred and seventy-five 
couples, and attended four hundred anci sixteen funerals. His 
ninetieth birthday, October 12, 1894, was celebrated by a large 
party of relatives and friends at the home of his daughter, Mrs. 
H. F. Curtis. He died at liis home in Kenncbunk, Maine, on 
April 5, 1895. 

ABNER B. WINN. 

Abner Bowman Winn was born in Hudson, N. H., October 10, 
1 8 16. He came to Fishcrville in 1838, and in company with a 
Mr. Messenger, put some machiner\^ for making coarse cloth into 
the basement of the Contoocook mill. This business was car- 
ried on but a few years, as the whole mill was leased to H. H. & 
J. S. Brown in 1841. After that date Mr. Winn was employed 
most of the time for the remainder of his life b}' tlie Messrs. 



308 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Brown, as a carpenter and in charge of repairs at the Contoocook 
and Penacook mills. Mr. Winn was a born mechanic. He never 
served as apprentice at any trade, but coukl do a good job at 
almost anything in the mechanical line. Probably no man ever 
lived in the village who was expert in so many trades as Abner 
B. Winn. He was cotton spinner and weaver, carpenter, mill- 




Ahnek B. Winn. 



wright, machinist, blacksmith, pattern maker, draughtsman, tin- 
smith, belt maker, or anything else that occasion required. Mr. 
Winn went into the machine shop business in 1864 under the 
firm name of A. B. Winn & Co., at the shop now owned by the 
Concord Axle Company, his partners being D. Arthur Brown and 
John S. Brown, but his untimely death the following )'ear put an 
end to a promising business career in that line. 



REV. TETER R. MC>^UESTEN. 309 

Mr. Winn scr\'ed in ofifice in liis district and town for a consid- 
erable portion of his life, and was elected representative in 1855 
and 1856. He attended the Baptist church, of which his wife 
was a member, and contriouted liberally to its support. Mr. 
Winn was a warm-hearted and generous man, though sometimes 
showing a rather rough exterior, and a brusque speech. He mar- 
ried Frances M. Harvey of Surry, N. H., March 18, 1837, but 
had no children. Mr. Winn died September 16, 1865, and was 
buried at Hudson, N. H. His widow still survives, residing at 
Keene, N. H. 

REV. PETER ROCKWOOD MC QUESTEN, PH. D., 

was born in Plymouth, N. H., September 29, 1839, son of 
Greenough and Myra (Chase) McOuesten. The family originated 
in Scotland, whence they removed to Ireland, and some genera- 
tions later made settlement in New Hampshire, where four 
generations have since resided. Rockwood came to Fisherville in 
1844, with his parents, his father taking a position as bookkeeper 
for the firm of H. H. & J. S. Brown, and later was postmaster of 
the village. Rockwood, with his brother Evarts, was among the 
first scholars who attended school in the white schoolhouse in 
District No. 20, and was also one of the boys who learned to 
" peg shoes" in the old Brown store building. In 1852 the family 
removed to Concord, N. H., where his father took the position of 
bookkeeper at the machine shop of the Concord Railroad and 
retained the position until his death in 189 1. Rockwood at the 
age of seventeen graduated from the Concord High school, being 
a member of the first class ever graduated at that institution. 
While carrying on his studies there he earned his own support by 
filling the position of private clerk to the superintendent of the 
Concord Railroad. After graduating from the High school he 
worked some two years as telegraph operator for the Concord 
Railroad. Having decided to study for the ministry, he entered 
Columbia College in 1859, and graduated in 1863 among the honor 
men with the degree of A. B. 

In the fall of 1863 he entered Union Theological Seminary of 
New York, from which he graduated in the spring of 1866, and at 
the same time received the degree of A. INI. from Columbia Col- 



310 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



lege. During his second year in the seminar}' he began to preach, 
and in the summer of 1865 he supplied the pulpit of the Congre- 
gational church at Salmon Falls, N. H. In April, 1866, he was 
licensed by the then Old School Presbytery of Nassau, and later 
in the same month was ordained by the Third Presbytery of New 
York (New School). 







Rev. Petek R. AIcOuksten. 



On May 18, 1866, at Hcnniker, N. H., Rev. Dr. McOuesten 
married Miss Emma Wiliard Sanborn. Of the five chiklrcn born 
to them only two are now living. June i, 1866, the Doctor 
started for Minnesota, under commission from the Board of Home 
Missions, and after supplying the pulpit at Red Wing for three 
months he took the first pastorate at Lc Sueur, ninety miles south- 
west of St. Paul, on the Minnesota river. At that time Le Sueur 



HON. CHARLES A. MORSE. 3 I I 

was on the frontier, and his parish included territory about twenty- 
five miles square, so that he was required to preach three or four 
times each Sunday. This was a position of much responsibility 
and was held by Dr. McQuestcn six years. He then accepted a 
call to the First Presbyterian church of Winona, Minn., where he 
remained for six years. His next field of labor was at Waterloo, 
Iowa, where he remained two years. In May, 1880, he removed 
to Minneapolis, Minn., to take charge of the preparatory depart- 
ment of McAllister College, under the supervision of the Synod 
of Minnesota. He held that position for one and one half years, 
and then filled a short engagement preaching at Grand Forks, 
N. Dak. Returning to Minneapolis he then became pastor of the 
Fifth Presbyterian chi'rch. He resigned this pastorate in 1885 and 
went to Fall River, Mass., under commission from the Home Mis- 
sion Board, where he was installed as pastor of the Westminster 
Presbyterian church, laboring successfully there until 1888. On 
January i, 1889, he accepted the pastorate of the Presbyterian 
church at Glencove, N. Y. While at Glencove he received the 
degree of Ph. D. from the University of the City of New York. 
Dr. McOuesten continued his labors at Glencove nearly nine years, 
and then resigned to take up the Rescue Mission work in New 
York city in connection with the U. S. Church Arm}% Col. H. H. 
Hadley, military director. 

In Januar\% 1898, he was called as a supply to the Ravenswood 
Presbyterian church, borough of Queens in Greater New York, 
and in April of the same year was installed as pastor, where he is 
still filling an honorable and responsible position. 

HON. CHARLES A. MORSE. 

Charles Alfred Morse, son of Charles G. and Lucy Jane (Calef) 
Morse, was born in Salisbury, N. H., September 8, 1857. His 
parents moved to Penacook soon after his birth, and he was a 
Penacook boy up to the time he began his professional life. 
His education was begun in the district schools of the village and 
continued at Penacook Academy. In 1875 he started to learn 
the drug business, which soon inclined him towards the medical 
profession. He soon began his studies for that profession and 
graduated from the medical department of Dartmouth College 
November 15, 1881. 



312 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

He began practice in February, 1882, at Newmarket, N. H., 
where he has continued to reside to the present time. Dr. Morse 
being emphatically a live man, immediately took an active interest 
in the educational and political affairs of that town. When the 
new law changed the school s\'stem from the district to the town 




Hon. Charles A. Mouse. 

S}'stem Dr. Morse was elected chairman of the Board of Educa- 
tion, and superintended the schools for three }'cars successfully. 

During the first term of President Cleveland the Doctor was 
appointed postmaster, serving for four )-ears. At the expiration 
of his term in that office he was elected to the legislature in 1891. 

Upon the election of President CIe\eland to a second term, he 



JOHN S. ROLLINS. 313 

was again appointed postmaster of Newmarket, and served out 
the term of four years. In 1898 Dr. Morse was nominated by 
acclamation by the Democrats of the Twenty-third district and 
was elected to the New Mampshirc senate. On taking his seat in 
that body, he was elected president ^ro (cm., and served also on 
several important committees. Political affairs are much enjoyed 
by the Doctor, who has grown to be an important man in the- 
councils of his party. 

In professional affairs Dr. Morse is a member of the New 
Hampshire Medical Societ\% the Center District Medical Society, 
the American Public Health Association, and is secretary of the 
local Board of Health. The Doctor seems to enjoy club and 
society interests, being a member of the New Hampshire Granite 
State Club, the Rockingham County Democratic Club, and the 
Amoskeag Veterans. He is a past grand of Swampscot lodge. 
No. 8, I. O. O. F. ; past chancellor of Pioneer lodge, No. i, 
K. of P. ; grand master-at-arms of the Grand Lodge, Knights of 
Pythias of New Hampshire; surgeon, with the rank of colonel, on 
the general staff, Uniformed Rank, K. of P. of New Hampshire. 

The Doctor is on the Board of Examiners, Medical Department 
of Dartmouth College, and delivered the address to the graduat- 
ing class in November, 1897. I''' business affairs Dr. Morse is 
connected with the Newmarket Electric Light, Heat and Power 
Co., being vice-president of that corporation. He has also served 
his town in the office of police justice. 

In religious affiliations Dr. Morse follows the teachings and 
example of his parents, being a member of the Baptist church. 

Dr. Morse has a remarkably happy and genial disposition 
which attracts and keeps friends where\-er met. He has a sonorous 
voice, is a ready and brilliant talker, and has a laugh alwa}'s on 
tap that is worth a fortune to its possessor. His family consists 
of a wife and three daughters. 

JOHN S. ROLLINS. 

John Sargent Rollins, son of Col. Jonathan and Judith (Palmer) 
Rollins, was born at Loudon, N. H., No\-ember 29, 1805. He 
attended the common schools at Loudon, and later the Gilmanton 
Academy. 



314 



HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 



His first business education was obtained in his father's country 
store, and continued for a time as clerk at Portsmouth. 

The next employment was school teaching at Chichester, and 
the subsequent character of Mr. Rollins would warrant the belief 
that discipline was strictly maintained in the Chichester school, at 
least while he was there. Mr. Rollins next went to Newark, N. Y., 




John S. Rollins. 



and engaged in business there for a time, and later returned to 
Loudon. He was in business at Pittsfield with Dr. Tenncy, just 
before coming to Penacook. 

In 1850 Mr. Rollins moved to Penacook and went into the drug 
business in company with Dr. A. O. Blanding, occupying the south 
store in Graphic block. In 1S52 he purchased the drug store of 
Dr. Hosmer, which was the north store in Granite block ; there he 



JOHN G. BUTLER. 315 

remained and conducted a successful business until declining health 
induced him to retire in 1874, when he turned over the business 
to his son-in-law. 

In 1835 Mr. Rollins married Martha B. Hornc of Gilmanton, by 
whom he had one daughter, now the wife of Cephas H. Fowler. 

Mr. Rollins was an attendant at the Congregational church. 
He affiliated with the Democratic party, but never sought office, 
preferring to attend strictly to business. He died February 20, 
1892. 

JOHN G. BUTLER. 

Of the boys brought up in Penacook who have since gone out 
into the world to win a place for themselves, one who haS attained 
a high and responsible position in the commercial world is John 
Gage Butler, son of Nehemiah and Mary M. (Gage) Butler, who 
was. born in Concord, December i, 1856, his father being the 
leading lawyer of the "village for a long term of years, and his 
mother was a daughter of Maj. Richard Gage, one of the first 
settlers of the village on the l^oscawcn side. Esquire Butler re- 
moved from Concord to the village in i860, so that John spent 
practically all of his boyhood here. He obtained his education in 
the district schools and at Penacook Academy. After leaving 
school he assisted his father for several years in the work of the 
lawyer's office, and thus gained much practical knowledge of legal 
and insurance business. 

Like man\' other brainy young men of New Hampshire, he 
early felt the need of wider opportunities for labor, and the result 
was that he determined to try his fortune in the West. 

He went to Minneapolis, and secured a situation in the office of 
Charles A. Pillsbury & Co., the great firm of flour mill men, who 
also were from New Hampshire. That engagement proved to be 
his life business, for from a comparatively small beginning he 
worked his way gradually up to one of the most responsible 
positions in that great office, and he has there managed his 
department most successfully for many years. The union of the 
Pillsbury and the Washburne flour mills, constituting the Pillsbury- 
Washburne Flour Mills Co., made this the largest flour manufactur- 
ing concern in the whole world, their product being distributed in 



i6 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



nearly all countries on the globe. For the Western portion of this 
country the central distributing office is at Chicago, under the 
personal direction of Mr. Butler, whose position is styled General 
Western Traveling Agent. The work of this position requires a 
man of brains as well as strong physique ; in both of these re- 
quirements Mr. Butler is amply endowed, and is honoring his 




John G. Butlkk. 



native state as well as himself in the management of this great 
trust. Mr. Butler has devoted himself almost entirely to business, 
and has sought no public office or political preferment, neither has 
he taken time to join any of the social or fraternal societies. 
He attends the Congregational church. 

On November 30, 1884, Mr. Butler married Miss iMiima Allen, 
but they have no children. The}- occasional!}' make a short visit 



CAPT. NATHANIEL ROLFE. 317 

to the old homestead here, wliich is now occupied by his younger 
brother, Ben. F. Butler. 

CAPT. NATHANIEL ROLFE. 

Capt. Nathaniel Rolfe, who died April 26, 1900, was the oldest 
native born citizen of Penacook (ward one of Concord, N. H.). 

He was the oldest son of Capt. Henry and Deborah (Carter) 
Rolfe, born January i, 18 14, on the estate which has been in pos- 
session of his ancestors since 1736, they being the first white 
owners of the land , and on this same estate he lived during the 
eighty-six years of his life. His early education was obtained in 
the district schools of the village and at the Franklin Academy. 

On January i, 1839, he married Mary Jane Moody, by whom 
he had five sons, Charles M., Abial W., Joseph H., John H., and 
Arthur F., all of whom are still living; also one daughter, Mary 
Lancaster. 

Capt. Nathaniel, in company with his brothers, Timothy C. and 
Abial, succeeded their father, Capt. Henry Rolfe, in the lumber 
and farming business. In the earlier years large amounts of the 
pine timber grown on the ancestral acres were cut down, sawn into 
lumber in their own sawmill, which stood on the land now owned 
by the J. E. Symonds Table Co., and rafted down the Merrimack 
river and the Middlesex canal, to markets in Boston and Lowell. 
In later years he built shops for the manufacture of boxes, doors, 
sash, etc., a business which has been continued and enlarged by 
his sons under the firm name of C. M. & A. W. Rolfe. Capt. 
Nathaniel received his military title by service in the Jackson Rifle 
company, one of the notable organizations of the old state militia, 
which he joined as a private, and was promoted successively to 
second and first lieutenant, and then to captain of the company. 

He was one of the early members of Pioneer P^nginc Co., No. 8, 
of which organization his son John has held the rank of captain 
or foreman for many years. He was also a member of the Con- 
cord Veteran Firemen's Association. In politics Captain Rolfe was 
a Democrat, and very prominent in the councils of that party, 
which elected him to the state legislature in 1845, ^^^^ ^s a mem- 
ber of the constitutional convention of 1850. He also represented 
ward one in the common council of Concord in 1862. 



3i8 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



When the war broke out in 1861, although differing poHtically 
from the party in power, he was one of the most active men in 
Penacook in arousing the spirit which secured for the village such 
an enviable record in the great conflict. 

Captain Rolfe was a member of the Congregational church, being 
one of the original members of the church formed in IMarch, 1849, 




Capt. Nathaniel Rolfe. 



which held services in the " Chapel," a building erected largely by 
the contributions of the Rolfe family on the land now covered by 
Eagle block. Captain Rolfe was a man of broad sympathies, ready 
to help wherever help was needed. In the early years of the vil- 
lage when the first families of Irish birth settled here, there was a 
strong prejudice against them among the workmen in the Rolfe 
shops, so much so that when a \-oung Irishman was first taken into 



JOSEPH H. ROLFE. 319 

the shop, several of the best workmen left and others threatened 
to leave unless the young man was discharged ; but Captain Rolfc 
declared that he would keep the \'oung Irishman even if everyone 
of the workmen left, and he did keep him, and employed many 
others of that race at a time when it was difficult for them to ob- 
tain employment elsewhere. After a long, well spent life, sur- 
rounded by his family, and cnjo\'ing the esteem and respect of the 
whole community, Capt. Rolfe's life closed on almost the identical 
spot where he was born, and his body, borne by six of his grand- 
sons, was laid to rest in the family lot of Woodlawn cemetery. 

JOSEPH H. ROLFE. 

The Rolfe family have mostly remained on the family estates in 
the village, ever since the first settlement was made on the Con- 
cord side of the river by Nathaniel Rolfe, somewhere about one 
hundred and fifty years ago. There is one marked exception to 
this rule in the subject of this article, Joseph Henry Rolfe, son of 
Nathaniel and Mary Jane (Moody) Rolfe, who was born in Pena- 
cook, March i, 1845. His early education was in the district 
schools of the village, later in the high schools, and in the Bos- 
cawen Academy, his school days being supplemented by work in 
the shops of the Rolfe Brothers up to the breaking out of the 
War of the Rebellion. At eighteen years of age he enlisted, Sep- 
tember 4, 1 86 1, in the First Regiment, U. S. Sharpshooters, 
Co. E, and served his full three years' term, a portion of his service 
being confidential clerk of Gen. Fitz John Porter. 

Soon after his return from the army he moved to Burlington, 
Vt., taking a position in the ofiice of a large lumber company. 
While there he was married, April 16, 1866, to Frances Josephine 
Rolfe of Colchester, Vt. After residing at Burlington seven }'ears, 
it seems that Mr. Rolfe, like so many of the enterprising young 
men of New Hampshire, had an attack of the " Western fever," 
which carried him to Minneapolis, Minn. There he engaged in the 
real estate businessand loaning money, with quite satisfactory results. 
His business success and his capacit}^ for public affairs soon 
brought him into public life, his first work in that line being a 
service of six years as deput\- treasurer of Hennepin county. His 



^20 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



interest in educational matters was recognized by the Board of 
Education of Minneapolis, on which board he served faithfully for 
six years, and for three years he was secretary of the board. 

Mr. Rolfe remained in Minneapolis for twenty-six years. Dur- 
ing the later years his wife's health failed gradually, and she passed 
away in June, 1891. A few years later Mr. Rolfe married in July, 




Joseph H. Rolfe. 



1894, Miss Eva P. Godley of Sennett, N. Y. Since his second 
marriage Mr. Rolfe has resided two }-cars in California and spent 
the remainder of his time in travel. 

The final sickness of his aged father brought Mr. Rolfe back 
once more to his native village, where it is hoped he may remain. 

Mr. Rolfe is a member of the Congregational church, following 
in this the example of his fathers for three or more generations. 



BEIJJAMIN F. CALDWELL. 



321 



He is also a Free Mason, having taken his degrees in Canada, in 
1865, and a comrade of the Grand Arni\' of the Rcpubhc. 

BENJAMIN F. CALDWELL. 

One of the most successful business men, and one who did 
much towards building up the village, was IVMijamin Franklin 





' '"%%:, 




/ 



15i:.\jA.Mi\ V . Caluwell. 

Caldwell, son of Benjamin and Lydia (GrifTin) Caldwell, who was 
born in Charlestown, Mass., September 17, 181 i. He left that 
city when quite young and removed to Nashua, N. H., where he 
was in business some twenty-five years before coming to this vil- 
lage. Mr. Caldwell began business in this village about 1847, i" 
the old wooden shop which stood on Water street where the stone 
polishing shop is now located. In 185 i he built the first part of 



322 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

the cabinet shop near the iron bridge. That first part was a one- 
story and basement building about 75x40 feet. There he began 
the manufacture of pine chamber furniture, and continued in the 
same hne for sixteen years. In 1853 he took as partners Henry 
H. Amsden and Samuel Merriam, the firm name being Caldwell, 
Amsden & Co. Mr. Caldwell continued to manage the manufac- 
turing and Mr. Amsden attended to the office business, and under 
this management the business constantly increased and soon had 
more men employed than any other manufactory of the village. 
So successful was the firm financially that Mr. Caldwell retired 
from the business in 1867 wn'th a competency. Shortly after this 
Mr. Caldwell remov^ed to Concord. He there found it difficult to 
break over his life long habits of industry, and after a year or two 
built a new shop at Concord. He did not carry on the business 
long but leased the shop to other parties. 

Mr. Caldwell was twice married ; first to Pamelia Symonds of 
Marlow, by whom he had two daughters and three sons. Only 
two of these, the wife of Hon. John Whitaker and Mrs. Ulie 
Ketchum, reside in the village. Mrs. Caldwell died in 1868. His 
second wife was Mrs. Maria L. Dow of Penacook, to whom he was 
married October 21, 1869, but by whom he had no children. Mr. 
Caldwell while at Penacook gave but little attention to political or 
other interests outside of his business. He attended the Baptist 
church while living here, as there was no church of his denomi- 
nation in the village ; after removing to Concord he joined the 
Universalist church. He died at Concord September 8, 1887, 
and was buried in Blossom Hill cemetery. 

CHARLES (;. KNOWLES. 

One of the leading spirits among the schoolboys of 1846-^6, 
was Charles Giles Knowles, son of Perley and Betsey Knowles, 
who was born in Boston, Mass., August 8, 1836, but spent most 
of his boyhood years in Penacook. The Knowles family lived in 
the house now owned by Oscar K. Smith, just far enough from 
the schoolhousc for the boys to run in at recess time and capture 
some of Mrs. Knowles's doughnuts. Mr. Knowles, senior, was a 
mason by trade, and was one of the workmen who built the Pen- 
acook mill, and who instructed Charles in the practical side of that 



CHARLES (). KNOWLES. 



323 



business at an early age. After the mill was built, Charles and 
his father worked at their trade for a short time in Concord and in 
Manchester. In 1856, when Charles was twenty years old 
and ready for his more complete entrance on his life-work, the 
family moved to River Falls. Wis., where he has since resided. 
His business has been that of contractor and builder, and he 



^ 



.^^^', 




Charles G. Kxowles. 

made the brick and erected the first brick building in Ri\er Falls, 
as well as a large portion of subsequent blocks and public build- 
ings of that city. On November 25, i860, he was married to Miss 
Jannette A. Short, by whom he has two daughters, Nealie and 
Minnie, both of whom arc graduates of the Normal school, and 
for a few years past have been teachers in the city schools of Mil- 
waukee, Wis. Soon after his marriage Mr. Knowles enlisted in 



324 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

Co. G, Fourth Wisconsin Volunteer Cavalry, and served a full 
three years' term in the Department of the Gulf, under the com- 
mand of General Canby. He was severely wounded while in 
service and has suffered much from the effect of the wounds 
received in battle during all the later years. 

Mr. Knowles's younger brother, Warren P., was also a soldier 
in the same regiment and served a part of his term as orderly 
for General Sherman at New Orleans. Warren was so badly 
wounded that he was never able to perform manual labor after- 
wards, and died at a comparatively early age. 

Mr. Knowles is, of couise, a member of the G. A. R., and is an 
honor to the organization. He is also a member of the I. O. O. F., 
as was his venerable father before him. 

He is a modest, retiring man who has never sought public ofHice, 
and has never accepted an}'thing in that line except his present 
office as member of the Park Commission. 

Mr. Knowles has lived an upright, useful life, reflecting credit on 
the village of his early years, as well as on the city of his later 
home. 

DEA. FRANK A. ABBOTT. 

P'ranklin Augustus Abbott, son of Hazen and Ruth M. (Ela) 
Abbott, was born in West Concord, N. H., in 1835, where he re- 
mained with his parents until he was sixteen years old, and then 
came to Penacook, where he began to learn the cabinet maker's 
trade in the shop of Hazelton & Robinson, located on Water street 
where the stone polishing shops now stand. After a few }-ears he 
moved his connection to the new Caldwell shop at the centre of 
the village, where he remained as workman and foreman for nearly 
forty }'ears. 

In 1857 he married Miss Asenath A. Dow, by whom he has had 
four daughters, Cora Estelle, Lena Frances, Bertha Dell, and Mary 
Stella. The last only is now living, and is the wife of George A. 
Viehman, Esq., of New Brunswick, N. J. 

In i860 Mr. Abbott united with the P^irst Baptist church, and 
three years later was chosen deacon, in which office he has re- 
mained to the present date. Deacon Abbott has also been 
superintendent of the Sunda\'-school connected with his church 



DEA. FRAN' KLIN A. ABBOTl' 



325 



for a long term of years. His fellow-citizens have called him 
to many positions of honorable service. He has served as school 
committee, also as selectman for ward one four years, as common 
councilman in 1871, and as alderman of the city in 1878. He 
also served five years on the board of assessors for the city. 

Deacon Abbott was one of the first to join Horace Chase 




Jjka. Ikanku.n a. Annul 1. 



Lodge, F. & A. M., taking the degrees in 1861. lie has taken 
also the higher degrees to the thirty-second, and is a member of 
Mount Horeb Commandery of Concord, Edward A. Raymond 
Consistory of Nashua, and Mount Sinai Temple of Montpelier, 
Vt. 

Mr. Abbott left the cabinet shop some years ago, and has since 
given his attention to real estate business mostly, having acquired 



326 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

several tenement houses and one of the business blocks on Main 
street, besides his fine homestead at the corner of Merrimack and 
Centre streets. 

FRANK M. GARLAND. 

One of the most notable boys that ever enlivened the village 
was Frank M. Garland, who was born in Henniker, the youngest 
of a large family. From boyhood he showed quite remarkable 
vitality, and easily excelled in such things as pleased him. One 
of his early accomplishments was playing the cornet, which instru- 
ment he learned without instruction, simply by hearing others 
play the instrument. There was a band in his native village, 
whose music he learned to play without knowing one note from 
another. He came to Penacook in his teens to work in the axle 
shop for his older brother, Charles, who was foreman of the fin- 
ishing department. There he quickly learned the various kinds 
of work in a remarkably short time, and would soon do more 
work than men who had been years at the same job. He seemed 
to have an intuitive knowledge of the capacity of the machine 
tools, and sometimes made the machines turn out so much more 
work than usual that the foreman would have to stop him to save 
making trouble in the shop. If told how to do a piece of work 
in a certain way, his active brain would soon discover some new 
way to do the work more rapidly. 

At that time Brown's band was in fine condition, and young 
Garland naturally wanted to play with them. He had no instru- 
ment, but the bandmaster procured a cornet for him, and he at 
once began playing, though when new music was put before him 
he always waited until the band played the piece over once or 
twice, and then he was ready to play it with the others. He soon 
became quite a proficient player and did good service with the 
band for two or three years. But his strong will power and his 
great vitality made him a difficult man to keep within the traces. 
Tiring of his work in the axle shop he left that work and opened 
a small market or provision store, in which he continued but a 
short time. When about to leave the village he married Miss 
Gertrude M. h^islicr by whom he had one daughter, Myrta, who 
resides with her parents at New Haven, Conn. After leaving the 
village he obtained a situation in the United States arsenal or 



FRANK M. GARLAND. 



327 



armory at Springfield, Mass. While there one of his occupations 
was the assembling of musket.s — that is putting the several parts 
together to make a complete gun. On that work the men were 
accustomed to do a certain amount of work each day, but Gar- 
land soon discovered a way in which he could do double or more 
work than had ever been done on that job before, which so stirred 




/ ^ 

'i 



Frank. M. CjAKLAnu. 



up the workmen (who could not find out /nKc he did it) that the 
foreman advised him to find a situation elsewhere. 

He also was located for several years at Ilion, N. Y., where he 
had a situation in an armory. While there he concluded to learn 
to play the cornet in the style of professional musicians, and was 
soon able to read music rapidly and to perform all the popular 
cornet solos in good style. Later on he moved to New Haven, 



328 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Conn., and was connected at times with several gun and pistol 
factories. While there he conceived the idea of making a rapid- 
fire machine gun that should be a radical improvement over all 
previous inventions in that line. After some two years' labor he 
completed a machine gun that seemed to promise great results. 
This being accomplished he set himself at the task of, securing 
the necessary capital to manufacture the guns or to sell the inven- 
tion to some nation in need of such arms. In this matter he was 
immediately successful, and organized a syndicate of very wealthy 
men to furnish the necessary funds for the enterprise. The pros- 
pect of selling the invention to the United States government was 
not encouraging as other guns were in use, and were satisfactory 
to the United States officers, so it was decided to try some foreign 
countries for a market. 

Mr. Garland with but one companion then went abroad and 
visited Russia, France, and England. In London he organized a 
large corporation to take over the whole business for foreign 
countries, as he could not spend time to introduce and manufac- 
ture the guns there. Leaving his interests in the hands of the 
London corporation, he returned to the United States. 

Soon after this his American syndicate advanced funds to a 
liberal amount and sent him with his companion to China, where 
he had an interview with the great Li Hung Chang, then the 
virtual ruler of the Chinese empire; as he could not at that time 
place his invention with the Chinese go\'ernment he returned to 
the United States. Before first going abroad he moved his family 
back to Pcnacook, and on his return to America came to the vil- 
lage and made things lively for a season. On one return from 
Europe he found his older brother, Charles, very dangerously 
sick, having been out of health and unable to work for some 
years. He immediately procured iw him a good house, mo\'ed 
him into it, furnished phx'sicians antl all things needed. Me 
also sent to Boston and secured the services of a noted 
specialist, who came to the village and performed an operation 
on the sick man, hoping to benefit him. And when his brother 
died Mr. Garland attended to everything and showed a most lib- 
eral and brotherly spirit. 

The following year Mr. Garland made a second journey to 



THEODORE F. ELLIOTT. 329 

Japan and China, taking for companion on this trip a young 
friend from the village, J. Irving Hoyt. 

Following this he made another short visit to Europe, and 
after his return settled down at New Haven again, where his 
family had preceded him. 

The machine gun business soon claimed liis attention again, 
and within the last \'ear he has completed a new gun which is 
claimed to be an improvement over all previous efforts in that 
line. To handle this last in\'ention Mr. Garland organized a 
corporation, with capital stock of $5,000,000, called the Garland 
Automatic Gun compan)- of New York cit}'. This corporation 
was instituted at Dover, Del., March 15, 1900, and a liberal share 
of the capital stock remains in Mr. Garland's hands. 

THEODORE F. ELLIOTT. 

One of the most notable men living in that section of the vil- 
lage known as the " Borough," was Theodore Farnum Fdliott, son 
of Joseph and Dorcas (Farnum) Elliott, born September 22, 
1803. He was a grandson of Joseph and Lydia (Goodwin) 
Elliot; his grandmother was the oldest person that ever lived in 
the village, attaining an age of one hundred and three years. 
Theodore had but limited opportunities for obtaining an educa- 
tion, but such branches as were taught at the district schools he 
learned thoroughly. In earh' life he learned the millwright trade, 
and made that his principal occupation. He built sawmills, grist- 
mills and the like, also dams and flumes for factories; his work 
in this line was noted, being always well planned and of solid, 
substantial construction. He also learned the gunsmith trade 
and manufactured some \"er\' fine rifles, and was himself an expert 
in the use of the same. .Another branch of his business was 
carriage and sled building, which vehicles he built much in the 
manner of the " Deacon's One Horse Sha\'," as there are still 
some of them in good condition after thirty-five \'ears of constant 
use. Mr. Elliott was a man of fine physique, fully six feet high, 
and of generous proportions, strong, heart}", and capable of 
great endurance. He was a man of excellent judgment, well 
informed, and of correct habits and principles, so that his counsel 
and advise was sought b\' many of his friends and neighbors. 



330 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



His religious affiliation was with the " Christian " denomination, 
which built the first meeting-house in the village. He was called 
on to superintend all the funerals in his neighborhood for a period 
of thirty years. In politics he was a Democrat, one of the old 
Jacksonian stamp, and was often urged by his party to stand for 
political office, but always refused, saying, " I have a large circle 




Thkouokk 1'". Elliott, 



of friends and wish to keep them." About the onl\' public posi- 
tion that he accepted was the captaincy of the famous Jackson 
Rifle company, probably the finest and best equipped company 
belonging to the state militia for some years. 

Mr. Elliott was married on April 30, 1833, to Miss Sally, 
daughter of Edmund and Ruth (Griffin) Sanborn of Loudon, and 
grandaughter of Capt. John Sanborn, one of the first settlers of 
that town. , 



DEA. FISHER AMES. 33 I 

To them were born five children, Lewis B., who was a soldier 
of the Sixteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, in the Civil 
War and died in service, leaving a widow, Roxann, daughter of 
Ephraim C. Elliott; Dorcas F., who died at the age of five years; 
Ruth A., who married Henry L. Ferrin, a prosperous farmer of 
West Concord ; Cora A., wife of Eli Hanson, who lives on a part 
of the old home farm ; and Joseph W. who is now employed by 
the General Electric company at Lynn, Mass. Mr. Elliott died 
October 23, 1878, and was buried in Woodlawn cemetery. 

DEA. FISHER AMES, 

son of Thomas and Lucy Foster Ames, was born in 1814, at 
the old homestead farm, located on the top of the hill west of the 
Freewill Baptist church in Canterbury, N. H. He remained at the 
farm with his parents, and attended the town schools in the win- 
ters, until their large, increasing family warned him that it was time 
to be taking care of himself. He then went to Dorchester, Mass., 
and engaged in the business of raising carl}' vegetables and fruit 
for the Boston market, in which he was quite successful. 

From this occupation he was called back later to the old home- 
stead to care for his parents in their declining }'ears. 

Soon after the death of his mother he married Miss Mary 
Plummer, daughter of Nathan Plummer, of Boscawen, February 
15, 1844, and came to Penacook in 1847. In 1849 ^Ii"- Ames, 
in company with his brother iVlbcrt, and Calvin Gerrish, pur- 
chased the stone foundry building, built by T. W. Pillsbury, and 
began business as manufacturers of stoves and castings, under the 
firm name of Ames, Gerrish & Co. The foundry was located 
where the boiler house of the cabinet shop now stands. In 1852 
the great flood on the Contoocook river destroyed the building 
and contents, leaving the Ames brothers penniless. 

Mrs. Ames owned a house on the Boscawen side of the river 
(now owned by Charles Clough) which had come to her from 
her father's estate ; this property she mortgaged to secure a loan 
of one hundred dollars, which enabled Mr. Ames to make the 
journey to the gold mines of California, where he remained seven 
years. He returned to New Hampshire just in season to catch 
the "spirit of 1861," and enlisted October i, 1861, in Capt. Dur-. 



T,^2 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

gin's Company E, Seventh Regiment, N. H. Vols., serving with his 
regiment on the South CaroHna coast until his health failed, when 
he was Tionorably discharged for disability, and returned to Pena- 
cook, where he remained most of the time, except a few years in Col- 
orado, during the remainder of his life. Mr. Ames was one of the 
oldest men who went into the service from this village, being forty- 
seven x'cars old at the date of cnlistnicnt. Mr. Ames earh^ in life 




/ 



,/ 



/ 



A- 



I)K.-\. Fisiii'.K A.Mi:s. 

joined the Congregational church, and led an uprii;ht Christian 
life ; at the date of his death he had been a deacon of the church 
in Pcnacook for several years. He was one of the original mem- 
bers of Pioneer Fire Engine Co., serving with that company a 
long term of years. He was a member of W. I. l^rown Post, No. 
31, G. A. R., but never sought or accepted public office. 

After his misfortune in the foundr\' business, lie did not go into 



REV. MILT.ARI) F. JOHNSON. 333 

any other business, but preferred working at various occupations, 
in many of which he was quite proficient. Mr. Ames died Au- 
gust 14, 1893, leaving a widow who survived him less than two 
years; her decease occurred on A}:)ril 13, 1895. There remain 
of his family two children, — Sarah Plummer, born at Canterbury 
January 10, 1845, '^'""^^ Henry Gerrish, born at Penacook, Septem- 
ber 16, 1848, both of whom still reside in the village. 

REV. :MILLARI) E. JOHNSON. 

Millard Fillmore Johnson, son of Warren Johnson (seventh in 
descent from Edmund Johnson of Hampton, N. H., 1639; and 
from Henry Elkins of Boston, 1634) and Sarah Ann (Sargent) 
Johnson (eighth in descent from William Sargent of Ipswich, Mass.,^ 
1633 ; and seventh from John Hoyt of Amesbury, Mass., 1638), 
was born in Springfield, N. H., October 27, 1850. He attended 
the public schools in Lawrence, Mass., in 1856; in Andover, 
N. H., i857-'59; and in Penacook, i859-'6s. He attended the 
Penacook Academy one term in 1866 and two terms in 1868. 
Having decided to prepare himself for the ministry, he entered 
Colby Academy at New London, N. H., in 1870, and graduated 
in 1872. He entered Brown University at Providence, R. L, in 
1872 and completed the course there in 1876; being one of the 
honor men of his class, he was assigned the philosophical oration 
at commencement. He was a member of the Delta Upsilon fra- 
ternity while in. college, and became a member of the Phi Beta 
Kappa society at commencement b\' virtue of his scholarship. 
From boyhood Mr. Johnson was a worker, and obtained his edu- 
cation by his own exertions. While a youth he worked in the 
Penacook cotton mill, Robinson's cabinet shop, the cooper shop, 
Harris's woolen mill, and Caldwell & Amsden's cabinet shop,, 
between schools and in vacation times. 

After graduating at college, he entered Newton Theological 
Institution at Newton Center, Mass., in 1876, and graduated in 
1879. During the years of his educational term he did a con- 
siderable amount of teaching. In i870-'7i he taught the school 
at Boscawen Plain, and the following winter at Burpee Hill in 
New London, N. H. In the winter of i872-'73 he had a place at 
the grammar school in Penacook. He taught in the cvcninsr 



334 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



schools of Providence from 187410 1876; lie also taught at the 
Baptist Academy in Saxton's River, Vt., in 1877. While in 
college he was licensed to preach and began that work soon 
after. He preached for the Baptist church at Grafton, Vt., in 
the summer of 1877, and for the Baptist church of South 




Rev. Mii.i.AKo V. Johnson. 



Berwick, Me., in 1878 and 1879. Mr. Johnson was ordained 
as a Baptist minister at Foxboro, Mass., September 25, 1879, and 
remained as pastor of the First Baptist church in that town until 
February 3, 1889. He was next settled as pastor of the Central 
Baptist church at Middleborough, Mass., February 10. 1889, 
where he labored until September I, 1898, at which date he 
accepted a call and became the ])astor of the l^'rst Baptist church 



JOHN CIIADWICK. 335 

in Medford, Mass. Mr. Johnson at fifty }xars of age enjoys 
robust health, and is emphatically a strong man mentally and 
physically. He seems to thrive on constant hard work, as aside 
from his regular pastoral duties he manages to find time for 
much outside work. He is an enthusiast on young people's work. 
Sunday schools, and temperance, havnng delivered sermons or 
addresses on those lines in twelve states and the Dominion of 
Canada. He has also been orator six times for the Grand Army 
of the' Republic on Memorial days. 

Mr. Johnson has been president of the Alumni Association of 
Colby Academy, and at present is the president of the Boston 
Alumni iVssociation (of Colby Academy). He was secretary 
of the Baptist Young People's Union of Massachusetts, from 1892 
to 1898, and from 1898 to 1900 was its president. He has 
held positions in the governing boards of the Baptist Vineyard 
Association; Massachusetts Baptist Convention of Churches; 
Massachusetts Charitable Society; Baptist Ministers' Conference; 
Northern Baptist Educational Society, and others. While in Fox- 
boro he was chairman of the school committee and a trustee of 
the public library. At Middleborough he was also trustee of 
the public library. At association meetings, councils, ordina- 
tions, and the like he has done much work, and has written occa- 
sional articles for the secular and religious press, quite a number 
of his sermons having been printed in the newspapers. He is not 
a member of any fraternal societies, as the duties of his home, his 
church, and his countr\' absorb his time and attention. 

Mr. Johnson married Eunice Adeline Allen, daughter of Dea. 
William H. Allen, at Pcnacook, December 17, 1879. They have 
three children — Allen Montague, Warren Clifford, and Helen 
Martin. He has made occasional visits to the \-illage of his boy- 
hood, where he is esteemed and beloved by a wide circle of friends, 
who take a just pride in the good work that he has done, and is 
doing, for humanit)'. In November, 1900, Mr. Johnson began his 
labors as pastor of the First Baptist church at Nashua, N. H. 

JOHN CHADWICK. 
John Chad wick, son of Laban M. and Eliza II. Chadwick, was 
born in Boscawen, N. H.. April 24, 1842, where he resided until 
he was twenty-eight years old, obtaining his education at the 



336 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



town schools and at Boscawen acadcni}-. On coming to the 
village he first engaged in trade with his brother Hale, in dry 
goods, boots and shoes, in Sanders block, and later in the block 




Rksidknck of John Ciiadwick, Mekkimack Street. 

on the opposite side of Main street, which block he purchased 
about 1875 and still owns. 

In 1872 he was appointed assistant city marshal, and filled 
that office most acceptably for eight years. He was appointed 
local agent for the American l^.xpress Co. in 1877, and held that 



I 



DEA. ALMON HARRIS. 337 

position until April, 1900, when he resigned. In connection 
with his express business he added the livery stable business in 
1878, and purchased the stable property in 1881. This property 
(which he still holds) included a dwelling-house, which stood 
on the ground occupied now by the block containing the Tetrault 
market. The dwelling-house, which was one of the earliest built 
in the village, by Arey Morrill, was moved to Merrimack street, and 
occupied by Mr. Chadwick until he purchased the fine homestead, 
formerly the Baptist parsonage. In 1888 Mr. Chadwick pur- 
chased the old Batchelder store block which stood on the east 
side of Washington square and moved it to its present location 
near his stable. 

Mr. Chadwick has been quite successful in business, and ac- 
cumulated a handsome property, much of it being invested in real 
estate in the village and vicinity. He was married the first time 
in 1866 to Mary E. Graham of East Concord, N. H. She died in 
1868. He was married the second time in 1874 to Miss Ella J. 
Hosmer, daughter of Dr. Wm. H. Hosmer of Penacook. They 
have two daughters, twins, — Julia and Jennie Chadwick. 

Mr. Chadwick has never sought public office, although well 
qualified for public business, preferring to attend closely to his 
own business affairs. He has been a member of Horace Chase 
lodge, F. & A. M., for many years. 

DEA. ALMON HARRIS. 

Almon Harris, a descendant of Scottish ancestry, son of Bethuel 
and Deborah Harris, was born August 29, 1800, in Nelson, N. H., 
his father being a celebrated manufacturer of woolen goods in that 
town. 

He remained with his father until he was twenty-one, and prob- 
ably knew the woolen business very well by the time he left home 
to work for himself, in 1821. His first move was to Watertown, 
Mass., where he worked in a woolen mill for five \'ears. He then 
returned to his native town and married Phebe, daughter of Ezra 
Sheldon, June 26, 1826. He next mo\ed to Marlow, where he 
built mills for sawing lumber, grinding grain, carding wool, and 
dressing cloth, continuing there until 1832, when he moved on to 
a farm in Winchester. He tried agricultural life for three years> 
23 



338 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



then gave it up and returned to Nelson, and again engaged in 
woolen manufacturing until 1847. ^^ that time the village of 
Fisherville was growing rapidly, and as its great water power 
became known many manufacturers came to see and investigate. 
Mr. Harris was one who came, and purchased land and w'ater 
power of the Gage family, and erected the Dustin Island Woolen 




Dea. Almon Hakris. 



Mills, which he, his sons, and his grandsons have operated suc- 
cessfully until the present day. This enterprise of Mr. Harris 
added materially to the prosperity of the village and has always 
been an important factor in the business life of the community. 
Mr. Harris was universally respected and esteemed by his fellow- 
citizens, who several times called him to attend to the public 
affairs of the town as selectman ; they also elected him to repre- 



JOHN S. 15ROWN. 339 

sent the town of Boscavven in the New Hampshire legishiture in 
the years 1864 and 1865. 

Mr. Harris was a member of the Congregational church for 
forty-four years, and was deacon and superintendent of the Sun- 
day-school in the towns where he resided, for many years. 

Deacon Harris died in September, 1876, leaving a widow and 
three sons, — h>,ra Sheldon, Bcthuel Edwin, and Almon Ainger. 

JOHN S. BROWN. 

John Sullivan l^rown, son of David and liunice (Ha\'es) Brown, 
lineal descendant of Peter Brown, one of the Mayjlower Pilgrims 
who landed at Plymouth in 1620, was born in Seekonk, Mass., 
February 26, 1809. 

His only schooling was at the district school four months in 
summer and three months in winter until the age of fourteen, 
after which he worked for his father until he was twenty-one 
years old, giving to his father all of his earnings up to that time. 
His father's business was the mason trade, which John learned 
early. 

At the age of twenty-one he went to work for his older brother, 
Henry, who was already well started in business as a mason. 
After working for Henry some time and taking charge of a gang 
of men he was taken into partnership with his brother, and con- 
tinued with him for about forty years. Shortly after forming a 
partnership with his brother they were employed to build a stone 
factory at Attleboro Falls, Mass., to be used for cotton goods, on 
the completion of which they were requested by the proprietors 
to set up the machinery and superintend the mill. Neither of the 
brothers had any previous experience in that line, with the excep- 
tion of a short time spent by John in a small weave room of a 
neighboring mill, but they concluded to try it, and succeeded to 
the entire satisfaction of the owners. 

After running the mill about three years, John and his brother 
purchased the machinery, leased the mill, and started in the busi- 
ness of manufacturing cotton cloth on their own account. 

As their first lease of the mill at Attleboro was about to expire 
they learned that the proprietors were to make a large advance in 
the rent for a renewal of the lease, and as the power at that place 



340 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



was not satisfactoi')', they looked for some other location. Learn- 
ing that the Fishers of Boston had a new mill at Fisherville, 
N. H., unoccupied, they came up here, looked over the property 
and leased the mill. Mr. John first came up in December, 1841, 
but did not move his family up until March, 1842, when he occu- 
pied the chambers of the house now owned by Mrs. Polly Mann. 




JOUN SUI.LIVAN UliOWX. 

(A/ seTeiity years. ) 

The Contoocook mill was then lillcd with new machincr}- — their 
old machinery at Attlcboro being left in charge of a }'Ounger 
brother, David, who operated it for a short time, and it was then 
sold to the Daggett Brothers. Mr. John and his brothers con- 
tinued operations in the Contoocook mill until after the Penacook 
mill was built, and haxing leased the new mill thc\- mo\ed the 
machinery from the Contoocook to the Penacook. Dining the 



JOHN S. HROWX. 341 

removal Mr. John met vvilh a serious accident; he was taking the 
spinning frames from the third floor and lowering them to the 
ground ; just as one of the frames was about to leave the floor the 
rope broke, and the men below shouted. Mr. John immediately 
leaned out of the door looking over the frame to see what the 
trouble was, the frame falling away from under him, he could not 
save himself, but had to go with it; fortunatelv he had the pres- 
ence of mind to spring forward just as his feet left the floor, and 
that carried him beyond the machine, otherwise he would have 
been crushed to death in the wreck of the spinning frame. He 
came to the ground on his feet, shattering the bones of one ankle 
and crippling him for life. Iwen this severe injury could keep 
Mr. Brown away from his work but a short time, and he was 
soon about the mill again, though obliged to use crutches for a 
long time. His business at the Penacook mill continued in com- 
pany with his brother until 1869, when it was thought best for the 
brothers to divide their property. The division left the Penacook 
mill property in the hands of John, who ran the mill alone for 
several years, and finally sold that property to the Contoocook 
Manufacturing & Mechanic Co., retiring from active business after 
a laborious and well spent term of some fifty years. Mr. Brown has 
been always closely attentive to his business, so that he had little 
time or inclination for public office; he did, however, serve as 
alderman of the city of Concord two terms, and was elected to the 
New Hampshire legislature for two sessions, and was a member 
of one New Hampshire constitutional convention. 

Mr. Brown joined the Baptist church at an early age, thus fol- 
lowing the example of his ancestors for at least three generations. 

He was one of the original members of the First Baptist church 
in Fisherville and at this date, June, 1900, the sole survivor of the 
original members. His love and zeal for church work has been 
constant, and his liberality unsurpassed. 

In building the church and the parsonage of the Baptist society 
in Penacook, he gave not only his time to superintend the con- 
struction but a very large portion of the money to pay for the 
same. To the missionary societies and other interests of his 
denomination he has been a liberal contributor. 

He was much interested in educational affairs, serving for 



342 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

several )-ears as a member of the board of trustees of the academy 
at New London, for which institution he contributed a large 
amount of funds. He gave two of his sons a college education, 
and sent another son through the academy course at New Lon- 
don. 

Besides these larger interests, Mr. Brown was a liberal contribu- 
tor to countless worthy charities all through his business life. 
Undoubtedly Mr. Brown enjoys the distinction of having been 
the most liberal giver to good and worth\' interests that ever lived 
in the village. 

Mr. Brown has been twice married: first, on June 26, 1834, to 
Miss Deborah Freeman Ide, of Seekonk, Mass., by whom he had 
two children, Emily Frances, who died in 1853, aged seventeen, 
and William Ide, major of the Eighteenth regiment, N. H. Vols., 
killed at Fort Steadman, Va., March 39, 1865. His wife Deborah 
died February 20, 1840. His second marriage was on February 
26, 1 841, to Miss Sophia Carpenter Drown, of Rehoboth, Mass., 
by whom he had seven children, two of whom died in infancy. 
There are still living in the village two daughters, Sophia and 
Sarah, also two sons, Samuel N. and Walter L. ; a third son, 
Stewart L, resides at Bristol, N. H. 

CEORGE W. AISBOTT. 

George Whitefield Abbott was born in West Boscawen (now 
Webster) on March 13, 1837. His parents were Nathaniel and 
Mary (Fitts) Abbott, the former a resident of West Boscawen, 
and the latter of Sandown, N. H. After attending the public 
schools in his native town, Mr. Abbott completed his schooling at 
a private academy at West Salisbury, N. H. Immediately after- 
wards he went to Boston, Mass., where he was emplo}'cd as a 
clerk until i860, when he went to Norwich, Conn., and opened a 
grocery store, from which place he came to Penacook in 1861, to 
engage in the grocery business with his older brother, under the 
firm name of H. & G. W. Abbott. In August, 1862, he enlisted 
in Company E, Seventh regiment, N. H. Vols., joining the regi- 
ment at St. Augustine, Ma., and was witii the regiment at Morris 
Island, Fort Wagner, Fort Gregg, and I'ort Sumter, also on St. 
Helena Island, all in South Carolina. 



GEORGE W. ABBOTT, 



343 



Mr. Abbott was severely wounded in the battle of Olustee, Fla., 
February 20, 1864, and remained in the hospital until April, 
1865 ; he then returned to his regiment, and was mustered out at 
Goldsboro, N. C, in June, 1865. Mr. Abbott then returned to 
Penacook, and engaged in mercantile pursuits; for several years 
he was the traveling salesman for the firm of H. H. Amsden & 
Sons, furniture manufacturers of Penacook. 




Ui.oRci: W. .AiiKcnT. 

In 1876 he formed a partnership with J. E. Symonds for the 
manufacture of tables, under the style of J. E. Symonds & Co. 
Mr. Abbott attended to the purchase of materials and the sale of 
their goods, while Mr. Symonds managed the factory. This 
business was carried on successfully as a partnership for a number 
of years, and was then organized as a corporation, of which Mr. 



344 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Abbott was president and general manager. When about sixty 
years of age, Mr. Abbott decided to give up the active manage- 
ment of that business, and disposed of his interest in the corpora- 
tion, 

Mr. Abbott is still' connected with several interests which claim 
more or less of his time, being president of the Penacook Electric 
Light Co., a director of the Concord Street railway, the Sullivan 
County railroad, and of the First National bank of Concord. In 
politics he afifiliates with the Republican party. In 1892 he was 
a presidential elector, and in i895-'96 he was a member of the 
state legislature. 

Mr. Abbott was first married on August 15, 1865, to Miss 
Myra Tucker of Boston, who died after giving birth to one child ; 
the child also died. He was again married on December 14, 1869, 
to Mrs. Addie (Morrill) Batchelder, and by this alliance there has 
been one daughter, Myra M. Abbott. Mr. Abbott is a member 
of W. I. Brown Post, No. 3i,.G. A. R. ; of Horace Chase lodge. Free 
and Accepted Masons, and of Mount Horeb Commandery, Knights 
Templar, of Concord. His residence, located on a lot extending 
from Summer to Merrimack street, is a large and elegant mansion, 
fitted and furnished in the best st\'le. He has also a summer cot- 
tage at Lake Sunapee, N. H., where the family are located a part 
of each summer. 

COL. ABIAL ROLFE. 

Abial Rolfe, one of the best known citizens of Penacook, was 
born March 29, 1823, on the estate where he now resides, son of 
Henry and Deborah (Carter) Rolfe, and a descendant in the 
fourth generation from Henry Rolfe, one of the original proprie- 
tors of Pennycook (Concord). Colonel Rolfe was educated in 
the town schools, at the private school of John Ballard at Hop- 
kinton, and at the academies of Pembroke and Salisbur\-. After 
completing his studies he taught school for four winter terms, 
acquiring a high reputation as a disciplinarian, and successfully 
managed a school which several preceding masters had failed to 
control. Since that time Colonel Rolfe has retained a warm 
interest in public education. 

After giving up school teaching, he was engaged, in company 



COL. ABIAL ROI.FE. 



345 



with his brothers Nathaniel and Henry, in the manufacture of 
doors, sash, and bhnds. In 1855 he was first elected to the 
school board of Concord, on which he served thirty years. In 
1856 and '1857 he was sent to represent the town in the state leg- 
islature, and in i860 was appointed an aide on the staff of Gov- 
ernor Goodwin, which gave him his title of colonel. In 1882 he 
was elected ward assessor, which office he filled for eight \'cars. 




COI,. AlUAI. Kol.FK. 



Colonel Rolfe has ahvax's been a zealous Republican, and in 
his earlier years was quite a noted public speaker. His first presi- 
dential vote was cast for Henr)' Clay in 1844. 

In his later years Colonel Rolfe has been employed as bank 
messenger and personal expressman, making daily trips to Con- 
cord. Colonel Rolfe has published a small pamphlet containing 



346 msroRV of i'Exacook. 

new and concise rules for computing annual interest on notes 
bearing partial payments. These rules are the invention of the 
colonel, and are said to be better than anything before published 
in that line. 

Colonel Rolfe was married in April, 1847, to Sarah Elizabeth 
Call, of West Boscawen, who died in 1881. They had one daugh- 
ter, Lizzie E., who was a successful teacher in the graded schools 
of Penacook for twenty-two years, and now resides with her father. 

The colonel has accumulated some property, owning several 
tenement houses, besides his own homestead, and a considerable 
portion of land from the old family estate. 

He is a veteran fireman, having served for thirty years as a 
member of Pioneer Fire Engine Co. He has for many years been 
a member of Horace Chase lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, 
also of Contoocook lodge, I. O. O. F. His religious belief is the 
Congregational. 

GEORGE \V. WADLEIGH. 

George Washington Wadleigh, son of W'illiam and Annie 
(Russell) Wadleigh, was born in Sutton, N. H., March 10, 18 19. 
He attended the town schools at Sutton, and finished his school- 
ing at Franklin academy. He began school keeping in 1835, at 
the age of sixteen years, and followed that occupation for seven 
years. 

In 1842 he commenced mercantile business in Concord, but in 
the spring of 1843 he removed to Sunapee, where he carried on 
business for live years. In 1848 Mr. Wadleigh came to Pena- 
cook and bought the Graphic block, completing it during the fol- 
lowing year. He also built a house on the corner of Washington 
and Union streets, where he resided for a number of years. He 
kept a millinery store in his new block for some ten years, and 
then removed his business to Concord, where he remained in trade 
during the remainder of his life. Since his death the business at 
Concord has been continued b)' his daughter. Mr. Wadleigh 
owned some farming land north of the village on which he 
bestowed considerable personal attention in the summer season, 
in the later years of his life. 

Mr. Wadleigh was married June 10, 1841, to Almira A. Challis, 



CHARLES M. RULFE. 



347 



of Sutton, who died December ii, i860, leaving four children, — 
William R., a corporal in the Fifth Regiment, N. H. Vols. ; Ella A., 
Almira C, and Frank C, of whom Ella alone survives. Mr. VVad- 
leigh died at Concord, April 10, 1896. His son William lived 
but nine years after the war; he died at Penacook, July 24, 1874. 

CHARLES M. ROLFE. 

Charles Moody Rolfe, eldest son of Capt. Nathaniel and Mary J. 
(Moody) Rolfe, and lineal descendant in the fifth generation from 
Henry Rolfe, one of the original proprietors of Concord, was born 




Chari.ks AL Roi.Fi;. 



in Penacook, August 18, 1841. His education was obtained in 
the village schools, common and high, and at the close of his 
school days he was employed in the manufacture of doors, sash, 
and blinds in the shops of his father. After his father's company 



34'^ HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

had retired from the business, in 1866 Charles formed a new com- 
pany with his brother Abial, the firm name being C. M. & A. VV. 
Rolfe, and the hne of goods \\'hich tlie\' manufactured was the 
same as made by the older firm in which their father was man- 
ager. The new firm leased shops and sawmill on Water street, 
where they operated for sev^eral years, and then moved back to 
the Concord side of the ri\'er, locating on Merrimack street, using 
a portion of the original Rolfe estate. 

Mr. Rolfe has found an increasing business from )'ear to year, 
and now employs some fift}' or more men, using about two mill- 
ion feet of pine lumber annually. Mr. Rolfe married Miss Maria 
L. Morrison, and has three sons, — Harlow, Henry, and Ben, — and 
one daughter, Mrs. Dr. Mary Farnum. Mr. Rolfe, like his father, 
is a strong Democrat in politics, and a member of the Congrega- 
tional church. He is also a member of the I. O. O. F. and of 
Dustin Island lodge, P. of H. 

S. PRENTICE DANFORTH. 

Sylvester Prentice Danforth, for many years a prominent citizen 
of Penacook, was born in that village, Boscawen side, August 14, 
1838. His parents were Nathan C. and Sophia C. (Brown) Dan- 
forth. His father and grandfather were engaged in the lumber 
business for several years, while his maternal ancestors were 
farmers in a neighboring town. 

In his youth, Mr. Danforth attended the public schools of the 
village and the Boscawen academy, where he completed his 
schooling at the age of eighteen years. He then learned the 
cabinet maker's trade with Caldwell & Amsdcn, for whom he 
worked eight years as foreman. On September i, 1867, he 
moved to Concord and took a position as superintendent for Isaac 
Elwell & Co., furniture manufacturers, remaining with them three 
years. He next entered the shops of E. B. Hutchinson, con- 
tractor and builder, where he was foreman of the molding and 
finishing department for twelve years. 

In 1882 Mr. Danforth purchased a half interest in the business 
of Charles Kimball, manufacturing interior and exterior building 
finish, and dealing in lumber. In 1887 George S.Forrest became 
a partner. Mr. Kimball retired in 1893, and F. A. Morgan came 



S. PRENTICE DANFORTH. 



349 



in, but the present firm consists of Mr. Danforth and Mr. Forrest 
only, the firm name being Danforth & Forrest. This firm have an 
excellent reputation as contractors and builders, and have been 
quite successful. Mr. Danforth has been twice married. First, 
on August 14, 1863, to Miss Caroline A. Morgan of Penacook, 
who bore him one son, Herbert !\Tilton, who is now enc^aired in 




S. Pkkntice Danfoktu. 

the business with his father. The name of his second wife was 
Flora Augusta Wheeler. When residing at the village he was a 
member of the Fisherviile Cornet band, and an excellent bass 
player, as well as the handsomest man in the organization. In 
politics Mr. Danforth is a Democrat, and prominent in the coun- 
cils of his party. He was an alternate at the National Democratic 
convention at Chicago in 1896. 

Mr. Danforth has been a successful ofificer in the Masonic fra- 



350 HISTORY OK I'ENACOOK. 

ternity for many years, being a past master of Blazing Star lodge, 
past commander of Mount Horeb commander}', Knights Templar, 
past district deputy grand master, past grand lecturer of the fourth 
Masonic district, and is also a Thirty-second degree Mason of the 
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. 

HENRY E. CHAMBERLIX. 

Henry Eastman Chamberlin, for nearly twenty years the station 
agent at Penacook, was born at Newbury, Vt., May 28, 1854. 
His parents were Charles and Ruth (Eastman) Chamberlin. His 
father was born in Newbur}', Vt., and his mother in Haverhill, 
N. H. ; and he is a lineal descendant, on the maternal side, of 
Roger Eastman, the founder of the family in America. Mr. 
Chamberlin attended the public schools of Newbury and Haver- 
hill until fourteen years old. 

In 1869 he went to Union City, Ind., where he entered the 
employ of the Belle Fontaine R. R. Co. as a messenger boy and 
rose to the position of telegraph operator. In 1870 he took 
charge of the office in Anderson, Ind., and after working in a 
similar capacity for the company at various stations along the 
line, he came to Concord in 1873 and entered the train despatch- 
er's office of the Northern Railroad. 

Two years later he was appointed station agent at Penacook, 
and held that position until April, 1893. The patrons of the rail- 
road, whom Mr. Chamberlin had served, were so well satisfied 
with his conduct of the ofilice that at the termination of his ser- 
vices here a public meeting was held, and a fine gold watch and 
chain presented to Mr. Chamberlin to testifx' to the high esteem 
in which he was held by the citizens. 

Mr. Chamberlin resigned his position as station agent to accept 
the office of superintendent of the Concord Street Railway, which 
position he still holds (June, 1900.) 

Mr. Chamberlin was married November 23, 1875, to Miss 
Mary E. Livengood, of Union City, Ind. They have now three 
daughters, Myla, lyla, and Ruth l^lizabeth. 

In politics Mr. Chamberlin is a Republican, and was elected by 
his party in 1892 a member of the board of aldermen from Ward 
1, and in 1896 he was elected a member of the state legislature. 



HENRY E. CIIAMP.ERT.IN. 



>5i 




Henry E. Chamberlin. 



He is a member of Contoocook lodge, No. 26, I. O. O. F., of 
Penacook, and of Penacook encampment, No. 3, of Concord. 
Also he is a member and past captain of J. S. Durgin camp. No. 
7, Sons of Veterans. 

HON. W. G. BUXTON. 

Willis George Buxton was born in Henniker, N. H., August 22, 
1856. His parents were Daniel M. and Abbia A. (VVhitaker) 
Buxton. 

His father was born in Henniker, and his mother in Deering, 
N. H. After receiving his elementary education in the public 
schools of Henniker, he pursued a higher course of study in the- 
Clinton Grove and New London academies. In 1876 he com- 
menced the study of law in the oflfice of B. K. Webber of Hills- 



352 



HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. 



borough Bridge, and in 1878 entered Boston University Law 
school, from which he was graduated in 1879. He was admitted 
to the bar in 1879, and immediately began the practice of his 
profession at Hillsborough. 

In 1882 he removed to Penacook, where he was associated with 
Judge Nehemiah Butler for a time, and continued to occupy the 
same office after the death of his partner. Mr. Ikixton was 




Hon. Willis G. 15uxton. 

instrumental in establishing the Penacook & Boscawen Water 
Works, of which he is at present the treasurer and superintend- 
ent. 

He is clerk of the Penacook hLlectric Light company, also treas- 
urer of the town of Boscawen, and has served on the board of 
education. For several }ears past he has been secretar}' of the 
New Hampshire Orphans' Home. Mr. Buxton has been a mem- 
ber of the Republican State committee since 1886; was a mem- 



HON. WILLIS G. BUXTON. 



353 



ber of the Constitutional Convention of New Hampshire in 1889; 
and was elected to the house of representatives from Boscawen in 
1895. where he served as chairman of the committee on elections. 
Two years later he was elected to the New Hampshire senate, 
where he served as chairman of the committee on the judiciar\-. 




Kesiuenck of Hon. Wn.i.is G. Cuxton. 



Mr. Buxton was married June 4. 18S4, to Miss Martha J. 
Flanders of Penacook ; they have had one daughter, but she is 
not now living. Mr. Buxton is a member of Contoocook lodge, 
No. 26, I. O. O. F., Horace Chase lodge, No. 72, F. & A. Masons, 
of which he is a past master, Trinit)' chapter. No. 2, Royal Arch 
Masons, and of Mount Horeb commandery, Knights Templar. 

Mr. Buxton conducts a large and profitable law practice and 
insurance business, and resides in his commodious homestead on 
North Main street. 
24 



354 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



HON. JOHN WHITAKER. 

John Whitaker, son of John and Hannah (Bickford) Whitaker, 
was born at Hopkinton, N. H., June 9, 1835. His ancestors 
were patriotic men, his great-grandfather serving as a soldier in 




Hon. John Whitakkr. 

the Revolutionary war, participating in the battle of l^unkcr ilill, 
and was present at the surrender of Hurgoync. The father of 
Mr. Whitaker was also a soldier in the War of 18 12, enlisting at 
first for three months, and at the expiration of that time, he 
enlisted for three years. 

Mr. Whitaker attended the public schools at Hopkinton until 
sixteen years of age, and then came to Penacook, entering the 
employ of Seth Hoyt (his brother-in-law) in the livery stable and 



HON. JOHN WHITAKER. 



355 



express business. In 1858 he opened a livery stable on his own 
account, and continued in that business for four years. 

In 1864 he went into the lumber business in company with 
Geor<^e F. Sanborn, who withdrew at the end of one year. Mr. 
Whitaker next formed a partncrshiji with H. H. Amsden and 
B. F. Caldwell, under the firm name of John Whitaker & Co. 




Rksidknce op' IIox. John Wiiit.akkr. 

This fiiui contracted to furnish the |)ine lumber for use in the 
cabinet shop of Caldwell, Amsden & Co., and continued the con- 
nection for many years. In 1886 Mr. Whitaker purchased the 
interests of his associates, and conducted the business alone until 
1890, when he retired from active business, having accumulated a 
competency during the j^ears of his business life. 

Mr. Whitaker is a Democrat in politics, and takes an active 
interest in public affairs. He served as assessor of ward one in 
1859, and represented his ward in the common council, also on 
the board of aldermen for two \ears, 1871 and 1876. He was 



356 HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 

elected representative in the state legislature in 1862. and state 
senator in 1893-94. 

Although out of acti\'e business, Mr. VVhitaker has a number 
of interests which claim more or less of his time, being a member 
of the board of water commissioners; a director of the Penacook 
lilectric Light company ; president of the Concord Axle com- 
pany ; trustee of the Guarantee Saving bank, and other positions 
which require some attention. His most active work during the 
summer season is the care of his steamboats and smaller boats 
which run on the Contoocook river above the park; this occupa- 
tion has brought him the title of " Commodore." 

Mr. VVhitaker is a thirty-second degree Mason, having a mem- 
bership ill Horace Chase lodge. No. 72, of which he is a charter 
member, and has occupied one important position ever since the 
lodge was instituted; in Trinity chapter, Ro}-al Arch Masons; in 
Mount Horeb commandery. Knights Templar, and Edward A. 
Raymond Consistory of Nashua; also in Aleppo Temple of ihe 
Mystic Shrine of Boston. He is also a veteran fireman, being a 
past foreman of Pioneer Fire Engine company, and served as 
assistant engineer of the fire department several years. On Feb- 
ruary 6, i860, Mr. Whitaker was united in marriage to Miss 
I'rances E. Caldwell, and their homestead on Washington street 
is one of the finest places in the \'illage ; their lawns, shrubbcr\-, 
and flower gardens are particularly attractive, those being under 
the special care and direction of Mrs. Whitaker. Mr. Whitaker 
enjoys the distinction of being the largest man in the village, his 
height being six feet three inches, and his weight 300 pounds, 
and when on parade with the Knights Templar his commanding 
form is always seen at the right of the line. 

HON. EDMUND II. I'.RoWN. 

Edmund Hayes Brown was born at Penacook, October 29, 
1857. He is the youngest son of Deacon Henry Hayes and 
Lucretia (Symonds) Brown, and traces his ancestry directly back 
to the early Pilgrim settlers. 

He was educated in the district schools, the Penacook academy, 
and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Boston. After 
completing his studies he entered the works of the Concord Axle 



HON. EDMUND II. HRCAVN. 



357 



company, where he applied hiniseh' to learning the various 
branches of the business, and in 1887 was appointed superintend- 
ent of the manufacturing department, which position he filled 
most successfully for ten years. Mr. Brown was one of the incor- 
porators of the Concord Axle company, has been a member of 
the board of directors since its organization, and is also the clerk 




Hon. Edmund H. Brown. 



of the corporation. He was one of the organizers of the Pena- 
cook Electric Light compan}-, and is a director in that company 
also. In 1897 Mr. Brown became associated with Mr. Charles E. 
Foote in the well-known house of Foote, Brown & Co., having 
purchased a half interest from Stewart I. Brown. 

In politics he has been an earnest supporter of the Republican 
party from the day he became a voter, and has served the party 



358 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

zealously in his ward organization, and upon the state central 
committee of which he was a member from 1887 to 1893. 

As a candidate for the house of representatives in 1893, he 
contributed his full share towards redeeming his ward, and was 
elected by a fair majority. At the Republican convention in 
1895 he received a unanimous nomination for senator in the 
eleventh senatorial district, and at the subsequent election was 
handsomely elected as the first Republican ever sent from that 
district. In religious and educational matters Mr. Brown has 
always taken an active interest. He joined the First Baptist 
church at the age of fifteen, and is now one of the deacons. He 
has been a member of the Sunday-school since childhood, and 
was for several years its most successful superintendent. He was 
president of the New Hampshire Baptist State convention in 
1893, and is still a trustee. 

Mr. Brown is a trustee of Colb}- acadeni}' at New London, and 
has been on the board of education in ward one ; he is also a 
member of the New Hampshire Historical Society. 

In Masonry Mr. Brown has attained the thirty-second degree, 
being a past master of Horace Chase lodge, No. 72, and a mem- 
ber of Trinit}' chapter, Horace Chase council. Mount Horeb com- 
mandery. Knights Templar, and Edward A. Raj-mond Consistory 
of Nashua. 

On October 11, 1881, Mr. Brown married Miss Mary Belle 
Proctor, daughter of the late Dr. William Proctor of Pittsfield. 
They have had three children, — Helen L., Howard H., and Will- 
iam P. ; the latter died in infancy. The family residence is on 
Elm street. 

DR. A. C. ALEXANDER. 

Anson Colb}' Alexander was born in Littleton, N. H., October 
10, 1855. His parents were Wesle\' and Sarali B. (Bray) Alex- 
ander. Both paternal and maternal great-grandfathers served in 
the Revolutionary war. He acquired his early education in the 
public schools of Littleton, and at the New Hampton and New 
London academies. His medical studies were begun under the 
instruction of Doctors Daniel Lee Jones and Charles W. Rowell, 
both of Lancaster. He next went to Philadelphia, and iri 1879 



DR. A. C. ALEXANDER. 



359 



graduated from the Philadelphia School of Anatomy and Surgery. 
In the following year he graduated from the Hahnemann Medical 
college in Philadelphia. He also graduated from the Pennsyl- 
vania hospital. He was the only New England student in many 
years who won the gold medal at the H.dincmann college for 
superior scholarship in every department. 




Dk. a. C. Alf.xandeu. 



In the spring of 1 88 1 he came to Penacook and began the 
practice of his profession, succeeding to the practice of the late 
Dr. S. M. Emery, and occupying the Dr. Emery residence. He 
soon secured a very large practice in the village and surrounding 
towns. His ofifice for several years was in the Knowlton block, 
but in 1890 he purchased the Mechanics block and fitted up a 



36o HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. 

commoditHJS set of offices in that building', and there he has 
remained to the present date. Besides his regular practice, Dr. 
Alexander has devoted much time and stud)' to the production 
of several specific remedies; one of these being the specific 
exhalant for catarrhal troubles, which is now manufactured by a 
corporation organized for that business. Of late he has attained 
a wide notoriety by his discovery of a new treatment of cancer. 
His practice in this specialty brought so large a number of people 
for treatment that it became necessary to secure a permanent hos- 
pital for their use. 

A corporation was formed in 1898, and built the Alexander 
sanatorium. That is quite a large building located a little to tlic 
west of the old hotel on the Boscawen side of the river, fitted up 
conveniently for the purpose, ha\'ing rooms for some thirt}'-fi\'e 
patients. There is a resident ph\'sician at the sanatorium so that 
Dr. Alexander can devote a portion of his time to his general 
practice. The success of his treatment has led to the establish- 
ment of ofifices in Boston, where he is associated with Dr. I'^ank 
O. Webber. The business is growing rapidl}% and the remcd\- 
is now given to the medical profession at large. Plu'sicians in all 
sections of the world are now using the remech' successful!}'. 

On June 22, 1882, Dr. Alexander was united in marriage with 
Miss Fannie Goodwin, a native of North Attleboro, Mass. They 
have two children, Marion, who is earl\' dcx'eloping luuisual talent 
as a performer on the violin; and Harold Wesley Alexander. 
The doctor himself has much natural talent in the lino of music, 
being a strong tenor singer, a violinist, and an excellent conduc- 
tor of chorus singing. He is a member of the Vlvst Baptist 
church, and conducts the music for all the Sunda\'-school con- 
certs at Easter and Christmas. 

Dr. Alexander is well acK'anced in the Masonic fraternity, being 
a past master of Horace Chase lodge; a member of Trinity chap- 
ter, Royal Arch Masons, and of Mount Horeb commander)', 
Knights Templar. He is also a past grand of Dustin Island 
lodge, I. O. O. v., as well as a member of the Knights oi P)'thias. 
He is a member of the New England Gynecological and Surgical 
society of Boston, also a trustee of the New Hampshire Savings 
bank at Concord. Dr. Alexander has been an active member of 



DAVID F. DL'Dl.KV 



;6i 



the school board on the l^oscawen side of the river, and has 
served the citizens of his town as a representative in the New 
Hampshire Ici^islalure. He was one of the organizers of tlie 
Union chib of Penacook and is a past president of that ory;aniza- 
tion. In [)oliiics he affiliates with the Repnblican part}-. 

DAVID V. DUDI.KV, ES(J. 

Da\-id Franklin Dudley was born in China, Maine, October [7, 
1857. His parents were Matthew F. and Patience A. (Hutchins) 
Dudley. 




Davuj [•'. Dlidi.kv, Esq. 



While a box- Da\itl attended the schools of Saco and Biddeford 
for a time. After his father's death his mother was married again, 
and thev removed to Newmarket, N. H., about 1866, and later to 



362 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Deerfield, N. H., where David cast his first vote in 1879. After 
graduating from Pembroke academy in 1879, he spent some time 
in the occupation of scliool teacher at Deerfield, N. H. Having 
chosen the law for his profession in life, he entered the oflfice of 
Leach & Stevens, where he studied three years. In August, 
1883, he was admitted to the Merrimack County bar, and began 
the practice of law at Penacook and Concord. Having won the 
confidence and good will of his townsmen, he was elected to the 
city council in 1885 and 1886, and to the board of aldermen in 
1895 and 1896. In politics he is a Republican, and cast his 
first presidential vote for Gen. Garfield in 1880. He belongs to 
Horace Chase lodge, No. 72, F". & A. M., Contoocook lodge, 
I. O. O. F., and the Union club, of which he is a past presi- 
dent. 

In 1879 Mr. Dudley married Miss Blanche L. Fowler, a daugh- 
ter of Trueworthy L. Fowler of Pembroke, N. H. They have 
four children, — Gale, Trueworthy V., Roy, and Ethel May, and 
their residence is on High street. 

At the election of November, 1900, Mr. Dudley was honored 
by election to the oflfice of county solicitor for Merrimack county. 

MAJ. RICHARD C.AGP:. 

Richard Gage, son of Thaddcus, was born in Meihuen, Mass., 
December ii, 1776. He was an older brother of Hon. William 
H. Gage, and came to Penacook about the \-ear i 800, and settled 
near the lower falls of the Contoocook. In 1805, February 6, he 
married Susannah, daughter of Capt. John Chamllcr, the landlord 
of the first tavern in the \illagc. lie was at first engaged in 
farming and subsequently, in company with his brother William, 
engaged in the lumber business at the sawmill which they built 
where the Stratton corn mill now stands. This business he con- 
tinued during his lifetime, and his sons. Calvin and Chandler, 
continued it for another generation. Mr. Gage was a man of 
good abilities, and may be justly called one of the founders of the 
village, which he served as representative in the New Hampshire 
legislature for the years 1838 and 1839. 

Mr. Gage was a man of strict religious principles and practice, 
and of the Congregational faith. So strong was his aversion to 



REV. JOSEPH F. FIELDEN. 



363 



card playing that he burned a pack of cards found in his barn, 
declaring that he would not have dared to tie up his cattle in the 
barn if he had known that cards were secreted there. Major 
Gage died May i8, 1855, aged 79 years, leaving six sons, Calvin, 
John Chandler, Hiram, Luther, B. Franklin, and Richard, also 
one daughter, wife of Nehemiah Butler, Esq. 

REV. JO.SEPII F. FIELDEN. 

Joseph Flanders Fielden, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Scott) 
Fielden, was born October 23, 1844, at Somersworth, N. H. He 




RkV. JoSIil'lI F. FlEI.DEN. 

fitted for college at the Somersworth high school, and took his 
college course at Brown university. Providence, R. I. Having 
decided to prepare for the ministr)', he took the course of train- 



364 IIIST()R\' OK I'ENACOOK. 

ing for that profession at the Rochester (N. Y.) Theological semi- 
nary. Before beginning his pastorate, and while continuing his 
studies, he came to Penacook, uniting with the First Baptist in 
1868, bv letter from the First Baptist church of Providence, R. I. 
While at Penacook he was a teacher at Penacook academy nearly 
two years. Mr. Fielden was licensed to preach b\' the First 
Baptist church of Penacook, and so began his life-work while a 
resident of the village. In 1870 Mr. Fielden went to New Lon- 
don, N. H., and taught in the academy there one term. 

In May, 1872, he was ordained at P>anklin Falls, N. H., and 
installed as pastor of the Baptist church there. He remained as 
pastor at Franklin Falls over nine years, and did much to build 
up that church. His knowledge of schools led to his appoint- 
ment as superintending school committee, in which position he 
served the citizens for several years. 

Soon after his settlement at P'ranklin, he came to Penacook 
and took for his wife Miss Nellie Maria Brown, daughter of 
Deacon H. H. Brown. They were married January 16, 1873, 
and one child, Henry B., born June 29, 1874, is still living. 

The second pastorate of Mr. Fielden was at Winchester, Mass., 
beginning in August, 1881, and continuing until February, 1892. 

In March, 1892, he was installed as pastor of the Baptist 
church at Newport, N. H., where he remained a little over four 
years. In August, 1896, Mr. I'^ielden assumed the pastoral duties 
for the Baptist church at Winchcndon, Mass., in which position 
he is still at work. 

Mr. Fielden is a veteran of the War of the Rebellion, having 
served in the .Sixtieth regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, during 
their term of service in 1864. 

Mrs. Nellie M. Fielden died at Winchester. Mass., July 10, 
1884, and Mr. Fielden married, on May 4, 1886, Miss Ada G. 
Gardner, daughter of Rev. Dr. George W. Gardner, former prin- 
cipal of New London acadeni)-. From this union they have six 
children, — Paul, born February 7, 1887 ; Margaret, born April 8, 
1888: Laura, born Januar\' 14, 1S90; Andrew G., born October 
28, 1891 ; Clarence B., born August 22, I S94 ; Ruth Inborn 
October 30, 1897. 

Mr. Fielden still retains an interest in the Penacook church and 



DR. ALFRED E. EMERY. 



365 



people, and occasionaliy makes a short visit to his relati\cs. He 
is a stockholder in the Concord Axle company. 



DR. A. E. EMERY 



Alfred Eastman Emery, son of Isaac and Eliza L. (I^astman) 
Emery, was born in Concord, N. H., April 21, 1841. He was 
educated at the Concord Hii^h school, Franklin acadcnn-, and the 




Dk. Ai.i-KKi) E. Emery. 

New Hampton institute. In 1858 he began reading medicine 
with l^r. Charles P. Gage at Concord, and later took two courses 
of lectures at Harvard university and at the University of Ver- 
mont, receiving his degree of M. D. from the latter institution in 
1865. Dr. Emery was appointed assistant surgeon in the United 
States navy on March 28, 1863. His first service was on the 



366 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



hospital ship Red Rover attached to the Mississippi squadron. 
Later he was on the U. S. S. Keystone State with the North 
Atlantic squadron. He resigned Februar\- 9, 1865, after serving 
twenty-three months. 

After receiving his degree of M. D. he first settled in Wilton, 
Conn., where he remained thirteen years, then in 1879 he moved 
to Penacook, where the remainder of his life was spent, and where 
he attained a wide practice in Penacook and West Concord. 

He was admitted to the New Hampshire Medical society in 
1865, and belonged later to the Center District Medical societ}' 
and to the Connecticut Medical society. While at Penacook Dr. 
Emery served a term as physician at the New Hampshire state 
prison, also as a member of the United States Pension Examining 
board, also as assistant city ph\'sician. Dr. Emery was mustered 
into W. I. Brown Post 31, G. A. R., on November 28, 1879, and 
maintained his connection with it during the remainder of his life, 
serving as commander for one term, and as surgeon for man}' 
years. He was assistant adjutant-general of the department of 
New Hampshire, G. A. R., in 1884, during Commander Linehan's 
second term. He was prominent in the Knights of Honor, being 
one of the grand officers for New Hampshire, and was also a 
member of Horace Chase lodge, V . and A. Masons. 

Dr. I'^mcry served as a member of the board of aldermen under 
Mayor Cogswell, and was for several years a member of the board 
of education in district No. 20. He was always deeply interested 
in public affairs, a keen observer of men and measures, widel}' 
read, well posted, strong in his convictions, and a staunch Repub- 
lican in politics. In religious matters he was inclined towards the 
Unitarian denomination. 

Dr. Emery was married April 6, 1863, to Annie E., daughter 
of Philip Stark, by whom he liad \\\\\-c children, Annie K., Mary 
S., and Arthur H., all of whom with their mother are still living. 
Dr. Emery was a man who deserved man\- friends and had them. 
By his professional associates he was esteemed for his ability and 
for his devotion to the ethics o\ his jirofession. Others knew him 
as the kind and loving husband and father; the genial friend and 
acquaintance ; the public-spirited citizen ; the upright man. He 
died May 23, 1900, and was buried at Pine Grove cemetery, East 



CALVIN GAGE. 



367 



Concord, the G. A. R. burial service being given at the grave by 
W. I. Brown post, B. Frank Varney commander, and John C. 
Linehan chaplain. 



CALVIN GAGE. 



Calvin Gage, son of Richard and Susannah (Chandler) Gage, 
was born November 17, 181 i, in the old Gage house which stood 
on the lot now occupied by the residence of Abram Hook ; the 
present house being the home of Calvin and his brother, John C, 




Calvin (iAca:. 



during their later years. Mr. Gage early engaged in the occu- 
pations of his father, farming and lumbering, but the latter branch 
took the largest share of his time and attention. In company 
with his brother, John Chandler, he rebuilt the first Gage sawmill 



368 HISTORY OK PENACOOK. 

and did an extensive business for man)' years. They also built 
and operated a large lumber mill at Ottawa, Canada, for a few 
years. Calvin was also a member of the firm Gage, Porter & Co., 
saw manufacturers, which company was under the management of 
his cousin, Isaac K. Gage, for a long term of years. Mr. Gage 
was active in making arrangements for building the first cotton 
mill in the village. Previous to the purchase by the Fishers, the 
ownership of the land and water power in the central part of the 
village was in several different hands, and Mr. Gage bought up 
all the different lots, which later were purchased b)' the Fisher 
Brothers of Boston, who organized the Contoocook Manufacturing 
& Mechanic Co., built the cotton mills and so gave the \illage a 
good start. Mr. Gage was a man of excellent mechanical ability 
and sound judgment in all matters pertaining to dams, flumes, 
and water powers. He built over the dam for the Penacook mill 
in 1886, also the dam at the Contoocook mill at an earlier date, as 
well as the small dam at the Concord Axle Works, and others in 
various places. 

Calvin Gage was one of the original members of the I'irst Con- 
gregational societ}-, organized in 1848, and continued in the faith 
of his fathers during life. He served his native town in nearl\' 
all the offices of honor and trust, and was a member of the state 
legislature in 1849 and 1850. He was one of the proprietors of 
Penacook academy, and did his full share in building up that 
school. In all general matters of interest or importance in the 
village Mr. Gage w^as always active and prominent. In personal 
ajjpearance Mr. Gage was a fine sample of American manhood, 
tall and broad shouldered, with full robust body, great strength 
and endurance, and a most genial, attractive countenance, which 
made him one of the handsomest men that ever liveil in the vil- 
lage. During his later years Mr. Gage went to Minnesota in 
1887 for a few years, where three of his sons were li\ing, but 
passed his last year at the old homestead. Mr. Gage died Janu- 
ary 30, 1889, and was buried in River Dale cemetery at Boscawen. 
Mr. Gage was twice married, — first to Rebecca, tlaughter of Isaac 
Pearson, September 25, 1835, b\- whom he had two daughters; 
Hannah Pearson and Martha A. ; second to Elizabeth, daughter 
of Isaac Ryan, April 29, 1846, by whom he had ten children, five 



HANNIBAL KONNEY. 



369 



sons and five daughters: George W., Rebecca P., Annie B., Har- 
ley C, Hannah P., Mary H., Nettie A., John F., George M., and 
Spicer R. 

HANNIBAL BONNEY. 

Hannibal Bonney, proprietor of the Penacook house, was born 
in Winthrop, Maine, February 26, 181 5. His parents were James 
and C}'nthia (Cole) Bonney; his father was also born in Win- 



.^^^ 




Hannibal Bonney. 

throp, and his mother in Massachusetts. There were nine sons 
in the family of whom Mr. Bonney is the only one now living. 

The only education that he received was from the schools of 

his native town. He worked on the farm at home until he was 

eighteen years old, and then on September 4, 1833, enlisted in a 

Dragoon regiment of the United States army, and served with 

-5 



3/0 HISTORY OF FEiNACOOK. 

that regiment eight }'ears. After that he enhsted in the Texan 
army for the period of " during the war." He also served in the 
Seminole Indian war in Florida, making a record of longer and 
more arduous scr\ice for his countr\' than an\' x'cteran in this 
vicinity. 

Soon after leaving the army Mr. Bouncy engaged in the hotel 
business which he has followed over fort\' )-ears. He came to 
Penacook in 1862, purchased the old tavern stand, and has since 
kept one of the very best countr}- hotels to be found in New Eng- 
land. His family includes Mrs. Bonney, his son, William, with 
his wife and two grandchildren. His son is associated in the care 
of the hotel with his father, and undoubtedh' will maintain the 
excellent reputation of "Bonne\''s Hotel" for man}' }-ears to come. 

HON. JOHN C. PEARKON. 

John Couch Pearson, son of Nathan and VA\7a\ (Couch) Pear- 
son, was born in Boscawen, N. H., Ma\' 25, 1835. His educa- 
tion began in the common schools of his native town, was con- 
tinued at Kinibair Union academy, and at Merrimack Normal 
institute. After his school days Mr. Pearson remained with his 
father on the old home farm until 1867, when he moved to Con- 
cord, and took a jMisition in the freight office of the Concord rail- 
road, lie remained there but a short time, as his father's failing 
health necessitated his return to the homestead; he was the only 
child. After his father's death, which occurred in 1868, he 
remained on the farm about three \'ears ; he then, in 1871, bought 
out the countr}' store at Corser Hill in the town of Webster, 
where he remained in trade five years. In 1876 Mr. Pearstin 
came to Penacook, where he has resitU-d to the present time. 
His first business in the village was also store keeping in the 
old Batchelder store building. He bought out J. P. Hubbard, 
but continued the business there onl}' one }ear, when he sold 
out to John McNeil. After retiring from the store busine.'.s, he 
engaged in the Western Loan Ijusiness. which he made his princi- 
pal occupation for a number of years. In this business he was par- 
ticularly successful, for of all the loans which he placed each and 
every one was paid, both piincipal antl interest comi)lete, so that 
no one of his customers e\er lost a tlollar on the business placed 
by Mr. IVarson. 



HON. JOHN C. PEARSON. 



371 



He has, for the last twenty years or more, given much of his 
time and attention to business of a public nature, having been an 
ofificer of the school district most of the time, a selectman of the 
town of Boscawen, a deputy sheriff of Merrimack county, also 
county commissioner, representative in the New Hampshire legis- 
lature, and a state senator. Aside from those affairs, he has done 




Hon. John C. Pearson. 

a large amount of work as administrator, executor, and assignee 
of estates, his abilities, experience, and sound judgment making 
him particularly well equipped for handling all such interests. In 
addition to all other occupations, Mr. Pearson is always doing 
more or less farming, having a considerable amoimt of land in 
his possession. 

He has a fine homestead in a commanding location in the 



372 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

northwestern part of the \nllage, on so high ground as to overlook 
the village and surrounding country. 

In politics Mr. Pearson is a prominent Republican, and has 
been a member of the State Central committee. 

He is an exemplary member of the Congregational church and 
a liberal contributor to that society. 

On November 27, 1856, Mr. Pearson married Miss Elizabeth S. 
Colby, and they have had four children, — Carrie E. (deceased), 
Hon. Edward N., the present secretary of state, John W., a civil 
engineer, and Harlan C, the city editor of the Concord Monitor. 
All three of his sons are graduates of Dartmouth college, and are 
a trio of whom the father may justly feel proud. 

HON. NEHEMIAH BUTLER. 

Nehemiah Butler, descendant from the first settlers of Pelham, 
N. H., was born in that town P'ebruary 22, 1824. His parents 
were John and Olive (Davis) Butler. He received his education 
in the schools of his native town, also at Pinkerton academy in 
Derry, and at Pembroke academy. He studied law in the law 
school of Harvard university, and in the ofhce of Hon. Asa 
Fowler at Concord. He was admitted to the Merrimack County 
bar in 1848, and immediately began practice in his profession at 
Penacook. In November, 1852, he was appointed clerk of the 
superior court of judicature, and of the court of common pleas for 
the county of Merrimack, succeeding Hon. N. B. Baker, and moved 
to Concord, where he resided and held that clerkship until i860. 
He then returned to Penacook and resumed the practice of law. 
In 1862 he was elected county commissioner, and was reelected 
each year until 1868. Upon the decease of Hon. J. D. Sleeper 
he was reappointed clerk of the courts for Merrimack county, and 
held that place for one year. In i (S69 and 1870 he represented 
the town of Boscawen in the state legislature. During the Civil 
War he was agent of the town of Boscawen to furnish its quota of 
soldiers and attend to the financial affairs connected therewith. 
He also was elected selectman of that town for seven successive 
years. He was one of the proprietors of Penacook academy, 
and rendered efficient aid in the establishment and maintenance 
of that school. On July 25, 1876, he was appointed judge of 



HON. NEHEMIAH BUTLER. 



373 



probate for the county of Merrimack, and continued in that posi- 
tion until his decease. As a lawyer and judge, Mr. Butler com- 
manded the respect and esteem of all who had business with him 
or his court. As a citizen he was esteemed for his strict integrity, 
his sound judgment, and his readiness to help in every good 
cause. He built a commodious homestead on the high table 




Hon. Nehkmiah Blttlek. 



land on the north side of the village which affords extensive 
views of the Contoocook river and \allc}', and which is still occu- 
pied by his son Benjamin. 

Judge Butler was married, November 15, 1849, to Miss Mary 
Magoon, only daughter of Maj. Richard Gage of Penacook. 
There were six children, — Charles Nehemiah, George Gage, 
(deceased), Susan Olive (deceased), John Gage, of Chicago, 



374 HISTORY OF I'EXACOOK. 

the sales manager of the great flour concern, Pillsbury-Washburn 
Co. of MinneapoHs ; Calvin Gage (deceased), and Benjamin 
Franklin who remains at the old homestead. Judge Butler died 
in 1883, and was buried at Boscawen plain. 

CHARLES E. FOOTE. 

Charles Edwin Foote, a leading merchant of Penacook, was 
born at Salisbury, N. H., June 5, 1840. His parents were Thomas 
and Lydia (Taber) Foote. His schooling was in the town schools 
and at the Salisbury academy. Mr. Foote began the business of 
store keeping in i860, opening a country store in his native town 
under the firm name of C. E. Foote & Co., the company includ- 
ing his brother-in-law. He remained in the business at Salisbury 
ten years, and then removed to Penacook and bought the interest 
of David Putnam in the old Brown store. The partner of Mr. 
Putnam was Lyman K. Hall, who remained with Mr. Foote, mak- 
ing the firm name Hall & Foote. Five years later Mr. Hall sold 
out to David A. Brown, and the firm name was changed to 
Brown & Foote. 

Eleven years later, in 1886, Mr. Brown sold his interest to his 
nephew, Stewart I. Brown, and the style of the firm was then 
changed to Foote, Brown & Co. After eleven years at this store 
Mr. Stewart I. Brown sold his half interest to his cousin, Hon. 
E. H. Brown, but this made no change in the firm name. Mr. 
Foote has now been in business at this store thirty years, and 
with the ten years at Salisbury makes a term of forty years in the 
same line of business, and is justly entitled to the distinction of 
being the leading merchant of the village. In 1885 Mr. Foote 
began writing life insurance for the Mutual Life Insurance com- 
pany of New York, and is still doing some business in that line. 
Since coming to this village Mr. Foote has not found much time 
to give to public offices until 1897, when he was elected alder- 
man for ward one for two years, and reelected in 1899 for another 
term. Mr. F"oote joined the Methodist church at Salisbury in 
i860, and since he came to Penacook has been a prominent 
member of the church here. He is one of the trustees of the 
Methodist Episcopal church; has been one of the class leaders; 
superintendent of Sunday-school for many }ears — in fact has 



CHARLES E. FOOTE. 



375 



served in all positions except pastor, and is still teacher of a large 
class of men in the Sunday-school. He is a fine singer and has 
been the leading bass for the Methodist choir ever since 1870. 

In 1896 Mr. Foote was chosen a lay delegate from the New 
Hampshire Conference to the General Conference of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal church at Cleveland, Ohio. Also in 1900 he was 




Charles E. Foote. 



chosen to the same office, and spent one month in attendance at 
the General Conference at Chicago ; at both of these he served 
on important committees. Mr. Foote is a member of Horace 
Chase lodge, F. & A. Masons, also a member of the Knights of 
Honor. 

On June 11, i860, Mr. Foote married Miss Mary F. Smith, 
daughter of Dr. Robert Smith of Salisbury. The\^ have had two 



376 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

children, — Helen L., wife of James Farrand of Pcnacook, and 
Charles Smith Foote who died in infancy. Mr. Foote has a com- 
fortable homestead on High street with large, well-shaded grounds. 

MAJOR WILLIAM I. BROWN. 

[This sketch of Major Brown was written by Samuel N. Brown, by request of the 
W. L Brown Post 31, G. A. R., and read at the meeting of November 2, 1875.] 

William Ide Brown, the son of John S. and Deborah (Ide) 
Brown, was born in Attleboro, Mass., August 27, 1839. In 
1843 his parents removed to Fishcrville, N. H., whicli was his 
home from that time. His early life was as uneventful as that of 
the majority of village boys. He was not a strong, robust child, 
but small in stature and of delicate health. He eagerly embraced 
all the opportunities for education that the village afforded in the 
public and private schools. 

Wishing for a more thorough and extended course of educa- 
tion, in 1855 he entered the academic department of the New 
London Literary and Scientific Institution, at which place he 
spent three years in preparing for college. After much serious 
thought and reflection on the subject, he made a public profes- 
sion of his faith, and on June 7, 1857, was baptized, and joined 
the First Baptist church in Fisherville, and continued an active 
member till his death. I believe, from this time, it was his earnest 
endeavor to live a Christian life; — how successful he was, I leave 
others to sa\'. 

A college friend thus writes: " He was one who made many 
friends, and I don't know that he ever lost one. His purity of 
life was unciuestioncd, and he came forth from the ordeal of cit}' 
college life without even the smell of fire on his garments. He 
was throughout a consistent Christian." 

His college historian sa)'s : " But his higliest aim while in col- 
lege was to lead an upright Christian life. That life nia\' not 
have comformed to the ideal that was ever before him — it proba- 
bly did not; but it was an unselfish life — a life without stain. He 
would have every one know tliat he was a Christian ; his daily 
life should attest the sincerity of liis pr()fcssit)n ; moreover, he 
would array himself with the Christian men of his college. 
Accordingly, on entering the university, he at once enrolled his 



MAJ. WILLIAM I. BROWN. 377 

name on the books of the ReUgions Society. There are those 
who have not yet forgotten the earnest simplicity of his words, 
when, soon after his matriculation at one of the meetings of the 
society, he spoke of his prev-ious Christian life and of his antici- 
pations respecting the work to which he had consecrated iiini- 
self." 

The colonel, under whom he ser\ed two years, testifies to his 
excellent moral character, and that " he had most successfully 
resisted the temptations incident to army life." 

Shortly after his conversion, he conceived it to be his duty to 
enter the ministr\-, a. id from that time his education was directed 
to that end. For aught that I know, he held that resolve intact 
till the day of his death. His pastor thus writes of him, in regard 
to this: "Amid the trials and temptations of student life, beyond 
the smoke and carnage of the battle-field, he held his sacred call- 
ing steadily in view, and felt that necessity was laid upon him ; 
yea, woe was unto him if he preached not the gospel. He cher- 
ished no romantic ideas of the pulpit as a means of winning popu- 
lar applause, or the pastor's study as a stepping-stone to ease and 
literary culture; he had deliberately chosen the ministry of recon- 
ciliation as his work for life, and looked forward to it with deep 
and settled convictions of duty rather than enthusiastic anticipa- 
tions of success." 

Graduating with honor at New London, he entered Brown uni- 
versity in the fall of 1858, and for four years pursued the regular 
collegiate course. 

As a scholar, though above the average, he did not aspire to 
or take a high rank. In a letter he says: " I do not think that 
either my health or nn^ abilities warrant me in aiming for the 
highest honors." Notwithstanding this, he received appoint- 
ments both for Junior I^xhibition and Commencement. 

His genial nature won for him the regard not only of his class, 
but the men of other classes. During his last year in college he 
was elected president of his class — the highest honor they could 
confer, as the appointment was for life. 

Of slight frame and impaired health, he was conscious of the 
necessity of strengthening his constitution by physical exercise, 
and entered with zest into the college sports, spending what time 



37^ 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



he could spare in the gymnasium, or rowing on the river (he 
having early joined the college boat club, a connection he 
retained throughout his college course). He little dreamed of 
the inestimable value the time thus spent would be to him here- 
after. 

The outbreak of the war found him quietly pursuing his studies. 
Many of the collegians enlisted in the first regiments that vol- 
unteered, and in his letters he made frequent mention of the 
patriotic feeling which pervaded the university. April 17, 1861, 
he wrote : " To-night, as I see the streets thick with uniforms, it 
begins to seem like war. The excitement here is intense. I hope 
New Hampshire will furnish her quota of troops in season." And 
with pride he refers to the fact that Brown university, with less 
than half the number of students that were at Yale, had furnished 
more volunteers. 

In May, 1861, a military compan\' was formed in college, called 
the " University Cadets," and he was among the first to place his 
name on the roll, and there received his first military instruction. 

May 20, 1 86 1, he went to Boston to witness the departure of 
the Second Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, for the seat of 
war; and, proud of the representatives of the old Granite state, 
he wrote: " I felt as if I could give them all a hearty shake of 
the hand and a ' God bless you !' I was most agreeably disap- 
pointed in the appearance and discipline of the men. As the 
representative of New Hampshire here, I have had to stand not 
a little of bluster and slurring on account of her slowness in send- 
ing out troops. I have not been posted at all in regard to her 
movements or her soldiers, and accordingly have had to bear it 
all. But now I can stand up for the Granite state with an intelli- 
gent and patriotic feeling." 

As yet he had not felt it to be his duty to enlist. We all cher- 
ished the opinion that a few weeks' campaign would make an end 
of civil strife, and his thoughts were still turned to his life-work. 

But the Peninsular campaign, in the earl\- summer of 1862, put 
an end to all liopes of a speedy termination of the war, and the 
question of his duty to his country arrested his attention. 

July 2, 1862, writing of relatives in the service, he says: "I 
wish I could have the results in my character of such experience. 



MAJ. WILLIAM L BROWN. 



379 



That is what will toughen, will develop, will strain every energy 
of being, will make a man more a man. There is something so 
noble in this absorbing of little selfish interests in one great one ! 
Before a man can sincerely and intelligently give himself a ready 
sacrifice to his country, his whole nature must pass through an 
ordeal that cannot but raise him in the scale of being. I do not 




ALaj. William L Brown. 

mean that a patriot will long continue to balance his own interests 
and his country's before he will decide for the latter; but that 
true patriotism is something more than mere impulse, mere igno- 
rance of the cost, mere indifference. It is the result of a rational, 
settled conviction that the country needs great sacrifice, and is 
worthy of it. The patriotism of the country is going to have 
another test by raising three hundred thousand more men. Who 
won't have to go, who can?" 



38o HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Soon after writing this he left Providence for the vacation pre- 
ceding commencement, when he should leave college. Nothing 
remained to complete his college course but delivering his gradu- 
ating oration. 

He bade adieu to his classmates, little thinking that with most 
of them the separation would be final. He had made all prepa- 
rations for completing his education at the Newton Theological 
Institution, even to engaging his room. But at home, in the 
vacation, the need of the country for more men was ever in his 
mind, and the question, "Who can go?" was soon answered by 
him, " I will go," — thus giving up all his cherished plans for the 
future. 

I doubt if a man enlisted in the state to whom a soldier's life 
was more distasteful naturall)- than to him. His habits, training- 
aspirations, all led him towards an entirely different life; but 
when his duty was plain to him, waiving all obstacles, he cheer- 
fully accepted the new life, and henceforth devoted himself wholh- 
to his new profession. 

He at once began recruiting for the Ninth regiment. New 
Hampshire Volunteers, then forming at Concord, and, on the 
organization of the regiment, was appointed second lieutenant in 
Company K, his commission dating from August lO, 1862. 

The regiment left the state August 25, and, arriving at Wash- 
ington, went into camp at Arlington Heights. Shortly after their 
arrival the battles of the second Bull Run and Chantilly were 
fought, followed by the advance of Lee into Mar)'land. The 
demand for troops was so urgent that the regiment (which had 
been assigned to the Second division. Ninth Arm\' Corps) was 
pushed on in pursuit of Lee 

With little experience in drill and none in the hardships of an 
active campaign, destitute of tents and camp equipage, the con- 
duct of the regiment was worth)' of all praise. Lieutenant Brown 
writes, September 11, — "The men are in good spirits and eager 
for a fight. I used to wonder how men. could get so an.xious, but 
I see now. We may be called into action soon. If so, I hope 
we shall do well. I am ready and waiting to go where dut\' calls, 
God only knowing m\' fate." 

Their expectations were soon realized, for on the 14th (only 



MAJ. WILLIAM I. BROWN. 38 1 

three weeks from home) they took their share of the honor in 
the battle of South Mountain, charging up the slope and driving 
the enemy before them. 

On the 1 8th they were again engaged at Antietam, being sta- 
tioned opposite the famous " stone bridge," which they helped to 
carry by storm, and the defense of which was assigned them that 
night. The regiment lost heavil)' in the action, nearly one hun- 
dred being killed and wounded. 

After the battle the regiment enjoyed a few weeks of compara- 
tive rest. Early in October, crossing Elk Ridge, they moved to 
Pleasant valley. Lieutenant Brown thus writes of the president's 
proclamation : " I still hold that the enforcement of the constitu- 
tion is the direct object for which we contend ; but I should feel 
that peace would be premature, if it should leave the slavery 
question as it now is. I should regard it as a calamity if the 
armed violence that threatens the constitution should be removed 
without removing the underlying cause. I hope we are now 
doing the fighting for centuries to come." 

I again quote from another of his letters as indicative of his 
unfaltering purpose : " No one would more gladly welcome an 
unconditional surrender on the part of the Confederacy than I 
would, but better a few more lives should be sacrificed than that 
the past sacrifice should be in vain. The length of life is not 
determined b)' our years, but b}' what we do. Death on the 
battle-field, with all its horrors, is preferable to slavery to unjust 
principles ; a short life of freedom and honor, better than a long 
one of servitude and disgrace." 

Writing after the battle of Antietam he says : " Many a time dur- 
ing the past year, under the influence of excitement and inspirit- 
ing music, I have thought I could march with fortitude up to the 
cannon's mouth ; but such feelings under such circumstances are 
not to be trusted. On the battle-field there is no music but the 
roar of cannon, the hissing of shells, and the hum of bullets. 
There is nothing ver}- inspiriting about this, I assure you. One 
must then draw upon the courage of principle; it must be the 
result of careful counting of the cost and a determination to meet 
the worst, and, if it does not come, to count it all as so much 
gain, as so much more than was to be expected." 



382 



HISTORY' OF PENACOOK. 



I give these extracts from his letters, comrades, to show clearly 
the sentiments which inspired him amidst the dangers and dis- 
comforts of active service. In all his letters home he was careful 
to write nothing that would unnecessarily alarm his friends, ever 
speaking of his own adventures with extreme reticence. There 
are no tales 

" of most disastrous chances ; 

Of moving accidents by flood and field ; 

Of hair-breadth \scapes i' the imminent deadly breach ;'' 

and if he alluded to the hardships it was generalK' in a pla}'ful 
manner. 

On the 13th of December the regiment was engaged in the fear- 
ful slaughter at Fredericksburg, losing heavily. 

In January, 1863, Lieutenant Brown was taken sick with a slow 
fever, the result of exposure, and remained in the general hos- 
pital at Aquia Creek till his health was restored, joining the regi- 
ment at Newport News just before they followed Burnside to 
Kentucky. In this new field the\- had a delightful experience 
compared with their campaign in Virginia. The duty was light 
(guarding the railroads and bridges against guerrillas), and, with 
comfortable quarters and abimdant provisions, they soon recuper- 
ated. While there Lieutenant Brown received a first lieutenant's 
commission, dated March I, 1863, and was transferred to Com- 
pany B. 

They were not destined to remain long in Kentucky, the Ninth 
Corps being ordered to report to General Grant, then investing 
Vicksburg. Leaving Kentucky, June 4, they went by rail to 
Cincinnati, and thence down the river on transports to their des- 
tination at Haines Bluff on the Yazoo river, and to the dut}' 
assigned them of guarding the rear of Grant's arm)- then threat- 
ened by Johnston. For two months the troops suffered severel}', 
the weather being extremely hot, the water very unwholesome, 
and scanty rations and long marches the order of the day. After 
the fall of Vicksburg they joined in the pursuit of Johnston, par- 
ticipating in the siege and captin-e of Jackson, Miss., and then 
returning to their old camp on the Vazoo. 

July 25, 1863, Lieutenant Brown writes: "We have had a 
long, hard march. Many died by the wayside from exhaustion. 



MAJ. WILLIAM I. BROWN. 383 

Rations were scarce, roast corn beinc^ our main dependence ; 
water very bad and scarce." Yet, amid all these privations, he 
bore up wonderfully. He was now receivin<^ the benefit of the 
hours spent in the gymnasium and on the Seckonk river. On 
the loth of August they returned to Kentucky. The Ninth Corps 
went to the aid of Burnside, then at Knoxvillc, Tenn., but the 
brigade to which the Ninth New Hampshire belonged, being 
much reduced by sickness, were ordered to remain in Kentucky, 
the regiment having their headquarters at Paris. 

November i, 1863, Lieutenant Brown was commissioned as 
adjutant of the regiment. In February, 1864, they were ordered 
to Kno.x-ville ; remaining there but a few days, they returned to 
Kentuck}', and thence to Annapolis, Md., remaining there until 
April 23. when they received marching orders and set out for 
Washington, joining the Army of the Potomac in the famous cam- 
paign of 1864. The regiment was not engaged at the Wilder- 
ness, but at Spottsyh'ania they suffered terribly, losing over two 
hundred men. They also took part in the battles of North Anna 
and Bethesda Church. 

He writes at this time, — " E\'ery one is cheerful and confident. 
Oh, how I wish the people of the North could witness the earnest- 
ness and determination of the campaign, the endurance of the 
soldiers, marching all night and fighting all day, sometimes with 
nothing to eat but the corn left by the mules." 

Arriving at Petersburg, they passed their time in the trenches. 
Of the life during those months it is unnecessary for me to speak ; 
you who were there know the whole story. He writes at this 
time, — " I ha\'e full as strong a desire to resume my studies as I 
had one year ago, but I can't leave honorably while the campaign 
lasts. I will see the war through before I think of any other 
duty." 

On the 30th of Jul}', at the explosion of the " Mine," the regi- 
ment again distinguished itself, being among the first to enter the 
" Crater," and sustaining a loss of ninety-two men, or one half 
their number. Early in September, his health shattered by the 
exposure and hardships of life in the trenches. Adjutant Brown 
came home on sick leave. While here he was offered, and 
accepted, the position of major in the Eighteenth New Hamp- 



384 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

shire, then organizing at Concord, the commission dating from 
October 13, 1864. An officer of the Ninth New Hampshire, 
urging his promotion, thus wrote : " Since the regiment entered 
the service, Adjutant Brown has been with it in every battle, skir- 
mish, and march, and, b}' the fideht}' with which he has per- 
formed every duty devolving upon him, has won the high esteem 
and admiration of every officer in the regiment. He is brave, 
cool, and judicious under fire. When it was proposed to confer 
the rank of brevet major upon the officer who had conducted him- 
self with the most conspicuous gallantry during the campaign, Ad- 
jutant Brown's name was the one most prominently mentioned." 

Major Brown joined his regiment in November, 1864. The\' 
were stationed at City Point, Va., attached to the Engineer Corps, 
and during the winter were hard at work on the fortifications, 
building roads, etc., relieved only by an occasional march to the 
front when any movement was in progress. 

In March, 1865, the regiment was ordered to the front, and 
assigned to the Third brigade, First division. Ninth Arm\' Corps. 

Immediately after the capture and recapture of Fort Stedman, 
they were ordered to hold the fort and lines of works to the right. 

March 29 he wrote home (for the last time), — "We feel it is 
quite an honor to begin our life at the front in so famous a 
place," it being what was fitly termed one of the hottest places on 
the line. That night, about 10 oclock, the cneni}' opened a 
heavy fire on the fort, which was returned with spirit until it 
became general for some distance along the line. The regiment 
was on the alert, expecting another charge on the work. While 
passing along the line, anxious to see how the men for the first 
time under a severe fire behaved, a Minie ball pierced his head, 
and he fell dead without, a struggle. It was hard that one who 
had jiarticipated with honor in many of the most hoth'-contested 
battles of the war should fall in a midnight skirmish just as the 
victory which he had so long fought and prayed for was within 
our grasp ; but such is the fortune of war. 

His life was almost the last one that the state sacrificed in the 
contest; and I believe that no braver soldier or truer patriot, 
among the many who went from the state, gave up his life in the 
cause. 



f 



ASA M. GAGE. 385 

On the 7th of April, when the whole land was rejoicing over 
the fall of Richmond and Petersburg, accompanied by a large 
circle of mourning relatives and friends, borne by the loving hands 
of classmates, he was laid in our quiet cemetery. 

" 'Tis little; but it looi<.s in truth, 
As if the quiet bones were blest, 
Among familiar names to rest, 
And in the places of his youth." 

In an address of welcome to the students of Brown university 
who had served in the war, Prof. Angell thus alluded to his 
death: " And'yet one more we mourn. Just as we were hoping 
that death had completed his roll of victims from our ranks, as 
the rebellion was tottering to its final downfall, the fatal bullet 
sped to its mark, and Major Brown was gone forever. In every 
battle and every skirmish he had been at his post, and at his post 
he fell, as complete victory was about to restore him to us and all 
he loved. Would you know his sweet and noble spirit? Hear 
what he said, with tearful eye and swelling breast, as he was 
about to set out for the field with a new regiment to which he 
had been assigned : ' I am not afraid to face death — not afraid to 
meet it, if need be ; but what if my regiment should disgrace 
itself?' True-hearted soldier and Christian! A regiment with 
such officers as thou wast never disgraces itself." 

ASA M. GAGE. 

Asa Morrison Gage, son of Hon. William H. and Polly (Mor- 
rison) Gage, was born in Penacook, November 17, 1820, in a 
house which formerly stood on Commercial street nearly opposite 
the saw shop. His education was mostly obtained in the district 
schools and a few terms at the High school of Dudley Leavitt 
(the celebrated almanac man) at Meredith, N. H. Mr. Gage was 
brought up on a farm and has always remained a farmer, being 
satisfied to enjoy the independence of farm life rather than engage 
in the cares and vicissitudes of commercial or manufactining life. 
The state would be richer to-day if more young men of his gener- 
ation had pursued the same wise course. Of all the Gage family 
of the second generation, who were so prominent a factor of the 
village life, Asa is the only man remaining. At eighty years 



386 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



of age he is still strong and vigorous, — standing six feet high, and 
straight as a soldier. He belonged to the militia in the early- 
days before 1845, and if the other men in his company were like 
him, it must have been a powerful body of soldiers. 

In 1845 Mr. Gage left his father's house and built a new house 
for himself a few rods north of the old homestead, and went into 




Asa M. GA(iE. 



farming on his own account; that house is now occupied by his 
son. In 1850 Mr. Gage moved to South Groton, Mass., and 
remained there four years; he then returned to the village where 
he has since remained. While at Groton Mr. Gage took the 
degrees of a F. & A. Mason, and is now in length of membership 
the oldest Mason in the village. 

In politics Mr. Gage is a Democrat of the old school, and is 



DEA. WILLIAM H. ALLEN. 387 

always attentive to his duties as a citizen, — a man of strong con- 
victions, well fitted for making his views understood. 

In his earlier years Mr. Gage did more or less teaming in addi- 
tion to his regular farm work, especially at the time of building 
and fitting up the Contoocook mill; the machinery for that mill 
came in ferry or canal boats up the Merrimack river to Concord, 
and was carted from the boat landing to the mill by Mr. Gage. 

Mr. Gage was married in 1849 to Sophia W. Caldwell; their 
children were Frank Henry, a market gardener, with a store in 
Granite block; Helen Sophia, widow of Horace H. Danforth, 
residing at Concord; Edwin Asa (deceased), and Ida May. 
After the death of his father in 1872, Mr. Gage moved back to 
the old homestead where he has since resided. The house was 
built by Isaac Chandler, the first white settler on the farm, about 
1790, and is still sound and strong, and likely to last another gen- 
eration or two. The family are Congregationalists in their relig- 
ious faith. 

DEA. WM. H. ALLEN. 

William Henry Allen, son of Benjamin and Hannah (Wade) 
Allen, was born at Seekonk, Mass., July 21, 181 5. His only 
schooling was in the district schools of his native town. He came 
to Penacook about 1845 to take the position of overseer of spin- 
ning in the Contoocook mill. He remained in the mill about 
five years, and then went into the store of H. H. & J. S. Brown, 
where he became a very successful salesman. After serving there 
some five years he went into the dry-goods business in 1855, 
buying out E. L. York, and forming with Dana D. Pratt the firm 
of Pratt & Allen. That firm continued until 1858, when Lyman 
K. Hall purchased the interest of Mr. Pratt, and the firm name 
was changed to Allen & Hall. Mr. Hall retired in 1863, and 
Deacon Allen carried on the business alone until 1886, when he 
sold the business to his son, William W. Allen, who has continued 
at the old stand until the present date. 

Deacon Allen was known to be a strictly honest and honorable 
man in every respect ; was always cheerful and companionable, 
and retained the esteem of his fellow-citizens during his entire 
life. 

He was a deacon of the Baptist church for a long series of 



388 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



years, and maintained an unsullied Christian character. He 
taught a class in the Sunday-school for twenty-five years or more. 
He was also one of the original Baptist choir members, and his 
high tenor voice was heard in the meetings for a whole genera- 
tion. Deacon Allen was married first on May 23, 1838, to Chloe 
F. Blackinton, daughter of Deacon Fisher Blackinton of Attle- 
boro, Mass., by whom he had three children, — Anne Francis, 
Augusta Maria, who married Charles H. Garland, and Benjamin 
Fisher. She died July 10, 1846. 




Dea. William II. Allen. 

His second wife was Hannah M. Brown, daughter of Deacon 
David Brown of Seekonk, Mass.; they were married February 23, 
1847, ^^^ t)y this union there were three children, — William 
Wade, ICunice Adeline, now the wife of Rev. Millard Johnson, 
and Georgianna, who died in infancy. Mrs. Allen died in Janu- 
ary, 1857. 

His third wife was Cynthia Eaton, sister of Dr. Eaton of 
Warner, N. H. ; she survives him, and is still residing at the home- 
stead on Elm street. 

In politics Deacon Allen was a staunch Republican, and served 



ROBERT O. FARRAND. 389 

in his ward as clerk for many years. He was also a representa- 
tive in the state legislature. Deacon Allen was descendant in the 
fifth generation from Lewis Allen of Weston, Mass., 1665. 

ROBERT O. FARRAND. 

Robert Owen Farrand, son of James and Maria (Bennett) Far- 
rand, was born in Parliament street, Dukinfied, Cheshire county, 
England, on May 31, 1840. At the age of fifteen years he came 
to America in the sailing packet ship Parliament, landing in Bos- 
ton about the 25 th of October, 1855, after a passage of five 
weeks and two days. His first place of residence in America was 
at Westport Factory, Mass., where he remained but three months. 
He next went to Lewiston, Maine, where he lived until the last of 
April, 1857, when he moved to Penacook, where he has since 
resided. He first took a house in Pleasant court on the Boscawen 
side, but shortly moved to the Concord side of the village. After 
coming to Penacook he attended the district school for ten weeks, 
and that closed up his school days. In September, 1857, he 
apprenticed himself, to learn the tin and sheet-iron working trade, 
to John P. Hubbard, who then owned the only tin shop in the 
place. 

He followed this employment for three years, and assisted in 
the tinning work on the Baptist church when it was built, assist- 
ing in tinning the bell deck, as well as the highest projection 
on the outside of the steeple. On October 29, 1861 (the slave 
holders' rebellion having broken out), he enlisted in Company E, 
Seventh regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, for three years. 
While in the army he was wounded three times; first in the wrist, 
at the charge on Fort Wagner, South Carolina (Morris Island), 
July 18, 1863; second, a flesh wound in the thigh, at the battle 
of Olustee, Fla., F"ebruary 20, 1864; and the third was received 
also at the battle of Olustee ; this was on the left side of the head 
near the temple; the ball passing back of both eyes, severed the 
optic nerve, and still remains in his head back bf the right eye. 
This wound caused instant and total blindness, from which he 
has never recovered in the least degree. He was at that time 
taken prisoner and remained in the hands of the rebels for nine 
months and ten days ; two weeks of that time at Lake City, Fla. ; 



390 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



two weeks at Tallahassee, Fla. ; six months at Andersonville, Ga., 
and the remainder of the time at Charleston, South Carolina. He 
was exchanged at Savannah, Ga., November 30, 1864, and arrived 
home December 23 of the same year, after a service of three 
years, one month, and twenty-four days. Since his return, and 
after regaining health, Mr. Farrand has made a business of selling 




Robert O. Fakranu. 



books in which he has been quite successful. He joined W. I. 
Brown Post 31, and has retained his active membership to the 
present date. Mr. Farrand joined the Methodist church in 1869, 
and has sustained a most exemplary Christian life since that date, 
and most of the time has been a member of the official board of 
his church. 

On October 25, 1868, Mr. Farrand was married to Sarah P. 



JACOB P. SANDERS. 39 1 

Story, who is still living, but they have no children. About 1880 
Mr. Farrand built a large house and stable, in a desirable location 
on Pleasant street, which he sold a few years later to Dr. Hol- 
brook, and then built another house for himself on the next lot 
south on the same street. A good man, a good citizen, and a 
brave defender of his adopted country when defenders were most 
needed. 

JACOB P. SANDERS. 

Jacob Perry Sanders was born at Danville, Pa., October 31, 
1822, his parents being Jacob and Lydia (Egbert) Sanders, 
whose ancestors were of those thrifty German emigrants who 
settled and built up so large a portion of the state of Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The only schooling that he had was obtained from the common 
schools of his native place, but with good mental endowment and 
splendid physique he made a successful merchant and useful cit- 
izen. After leaving his native state he resided for a time in New 
York state, and later removed to Adrian, Mich. 

Mr. Sanders came to Penacook in 1848 and began business in 
the boot and shoe line, manufacturing to order boots and shoes. 
He was one of the original members of Pioneer Engine company, 
which was organized in April of the year following his settlement 
in Penacook, and remained an active member several years. 
About 1855 he built a house on Charles street. 

Mr. Sanders's first place of business was in the basement of the 
Washington House, where he manufactured and repaired boots 
and shoes. A few years later he took a store in Graphic block 
where he put in a stock of ready-made clothing, and a stock of 
boots and shoes. In i860 he built the first Sanders block on 
Main street, a wooden building containing three stores, one of 
which he occupied for his own business, which he moved from 
the opposite side of the street. He continued business in that 
store until 1869, when his block was destroyed by fire. He im- 
mediately built on the same location a larger three-story brick 
block, containing three stores on the ground floor; a large hall 
on the second floor, also a printing office; and on the third floor 
a hall for the use of the Grand Arm\' post, and a smaller hall 
used for a band room. 



392 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



In 1871 Mr. Sanders erected the fine large dwelling-house now 
occupied as the Catholic parsonage. In 1878 he retired from 
business, selling out to his son, who has continued in the same 
line of trade on the same location until this day. Mr. Sanders 
was one of the most prominent and successful of earlier business 
men of the village. He was a man of most exemplary character. 




Jacob P. Sanders. 



honest and upright in all his business, as well as a genial and 
companionable citizen. He never aspired to political ofifice, pre- 
ferring to serve in the ranks rather than as a leader. 

In religion he was affiliated with the Second Advent denomina- 
tion, and in the local society was a very prominent member. He 
firmly believed that the end of the world would come in 1854, 



CHARLES H. SANDERS. 393 

and gave up his business a few weeks before the appointed day, 
but after that day passed he returned to his former business 
again. Mr. Sanders was first married June 6, 1845, to Sarah 
Ann Button, by whom he had two sons, one of whom, Charles H., 
succeeded him in the business, the other is deceased. His second 
marriage was on June 26, 1853, to Frances M. Folsom, by whom 
he had one daughter, now the wife of Rev. W. VV. Prescott of 
London, Eng. His third marriage was on January 13, 1892, to 
Fannie F. Currier, who is still living. Mr. Sanders died June 12, 
1893, and was buried in Woodlawn cemetery. 

CHARLES H. SANDERS. 

Charles Henry Sanders was born in Penacook, September 12, 
185 I. His parents were Jacob P. and Sarah Ann (Dutton) San- 
ders. He attended the common schools of his native town and 
later attended the State college, the Thayer School of Engineer- 
ing connected with Dartmouth college, and the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology, fitting himself for the profession of archi- 
tect. He completed his schooling in 1876 and began work in his 
chosen occupation immediatel)'. Among the houses built from 
his plans were the J. P. Sanders residence, now occupied as the 
Catholic parsonage, and the residence of ex-Governor Tuttle of 
Pittsfield, N. H. In later years he was chairman of the building 
committee that built the brick schoolhouse on the Concord side, 
and remodeled the Congregational church. His latest work in 
that line was the building of his own house at the corner of Elm 
street and Webster place, one of the finest and most complete 
residences in the city. He also rebuilt the Sanders block in 1892, 
and has remodeled two dwelling houses within the last five years. 

In 1876 he turned from architecture to take up the business of 
merchant. He first went into company with his father who had 
established the boot, shoe, and clothing business some years 
before. Two years later, in 1878, his father retired from busi- 
ness, and Charles H. Sanders has since that date managed the 
business alone. The business has been increased in his hands, 
and has always been the leading store in that line of business. 
He has been eminently successful, as shown by the property that 
he has accumulated ; some of this is the Sanders block on Main 



394 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK, 



street, a large double tenement house on Elm street, and a double 
tenement house on Webster place. Beside his business as a mer- 
chant, Mr. Sanders has a large amount of other business in his 
hands. He was one of the organizers of the Penacook Electric 
Light company, and is a director, treasurer, and manager of that 
corporation. He is also director of the New Hampshire Spinning 




Charles H. Sandkrs. 

Mills, a trustee of the Loan and Trust Savings bank at Concord, 
and has been on the board of the Penacook and Boscawen Water 
Precinct. 

Mr. Sanders has also found lime to attend to the duties of 
prudential committee of District No. 20, and has given his ward 
excellent service as alderman. When the Penacook library was 
in existence he took an active interest in that and at one period 



CHARLES H. SANDERS. 



395 



was treasurer, also librarian. Mr. Sanders has been for several 
years president of the Woodlawn Cemetery association, and gives 
personal attention to the care of that interest. 

He is a prominent man in Masonry, being a past master of 
Horace Chase lodg'e of Penacook ; member of Trinity chapter and 
Mount Horeb commandery at Concord, also of the Edward A. 
Raymond Consistory of Nashua, where he was advanced to the 
thirty-second degree. 




Kksidence of Charles H. Sanders. 



Mr. Sanders joined tiie Congregational church in 1885, and 
has given much time and care to the interests of that church and 
society. He has been superintendent of the Sunday-school for 
many years, also has served as treasurer and manager of the 
financial affairs for the past fifteen years. Mr. Sanders is a mem- 
ber of the New Hampshire Historical society, the New Hamp- 
shire Orphans' Home, the Appalachian Mountain club, and other 
societies. For several years he has spent the month of August 
at Cape Porpoise, Maine, where he keeps a fine sail-boat, row- 
boats, etc. 



396 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Mr. Sanders was married on May 24, 1876, to Sarah Emeline 
Abbott, daughter of David Abbott of West Concord. 

In politics Mr. Sanders is a strong and influential Republican. 



DR. II. C. HOLBROOK. 



Henry Carroll Holbrook, son of Calvin M. and Mary J. (South- 
worth) Holbrook, was born at West Fairlee, Vt., September 12, 
1859. 




Dr. Hi;nky C. Holhrook. 



He was educated at Thctford and St. Johnsbur}' academies, Vt., 
and at Dartmouth college. After completing his studies Dr. Hol- 
brook came to Penacook in 1884 and took an ofifice in Exchange 
block, where he has remained and established an extensive prac- 
tice. 



JOHN P. HUBBARD. 



i97 



He has a fine residence on Pleasant street, and is a leading 
member of the Congregational church. He is also a member of 
Horace Chase lodge, F. & A. M., Trinity chapter, and Mount 
Horeb commandery, Knights Templar. 



JOHN P. HUBBARD. 

John Putnam Hubbard was born at Semester, Vt., October 27,. 
1820; his parents were Oliver and Sophia (Putnam) Hubbard. 




John P. Hurbard. 

He attended town schools in his youth, and later on attended an 
academy. 

Mr. Hubbard was engaged in the stove and tin business at 
Manchester, N. H., previous to 1856, in which year he removed 
to Penacook, and purchased the stove and tin business of Ams- 



398 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

den & Merriam, also purchased the block in which their shop was 
located ; that being the block now owned by John Chadwick and 
occupied by Frank E. Bean and others. Soon after his arrival he 
built the large house on Charles street now owned by Mrs, Put- 
nam. 

After conducting the tin shop five years, he sold out the busi- 
ness to Reuben Danforth in i86i. A few years later he sold his 
house on Charles street to David Putnam, and then built the 
brick homestead on Chandler street now owned by Hon. John C. 
Pearson. After selling his tin shop he engaged in the grocery 
store business, and was located in several different stores ; one 
was at Boscawen Plain, another was the old store on the Bos- 
cawen side now occupied by the Sanborn Bros., and others were 
the old Batchelder store on Washington square, and one of the 
stores in Exchange block. After selling his residence to J. C. 
Pearson, he built a third residence on North Main street at the 
corner of Queen street, where he resided until his death in August, 
1892, and which is now occupied by his widow and by his son, 
Guy H. Hubbard, who is a prosperous merchant, and in company 
with Oliver Fifield in the undertaking business. 

Mr. Hubbard was married July 4, 1850, to Mary J. Franklin of 
Bristol, R. I., by whom he had five children; two of those are 
now living, — Mrs. Ella S. Gifford at Jacksonville, Fla., and Mrs. 
Carrie F. Dodge of Berlin, Mass. After the death of his first 
wife, Mr. Hubbard was married June 22, i860, to Martha A. 
Knapp of Franconia, N. H., who survives him. By this union 
there were two children, one of whom, Guy H. Hubbard, is still 
living. Mr. Hubbard was a member of the First Baptist church, 
as is his widow. He was also a prominent member of the Odd 
Fellows. 

HON. CHARLES II. AMSDEN, 

Charles Hubbard Amsden, son of Henry Hubbard and Mary 
(Muzzey) Amsden, and a descendant in the seventh generation 
from Isaac Amsden, one of the earliest settlers of Cambridge, 
Mass., about 1620, was born in Penacook, on the Boscawen side 
of the river, on July 8, 1848. He attended the common schools 
of the village, and later completed his school days at Appleton 



HON. CHARLES H. AMSDEN. 



399 



academy, New Ipswich, N. H. His father was engaged in the 
furniture manufacturing business, and while a youth, Charles 
worked in the shop at such times as he was not at school. After 
leaving the academy he went into the office of his father's com- 
pany and soon became familiar with the financial part of the busi- 
ness. In 1867, when but nineteen years of age, Mr. Amsden was 
taken into partnership with his father and older brother George. 




Hon. Chaki.es H. Amsden. 



His father died two years later, in 1869, and his brother George 
died in 1872, leaving a large business in the hands, and under the 
sole management, of Charles, the youngest son. The care and 
responsibilities of this large property would have taxed the capac- 
ity and strength of most men of double his age and experience, 
but Mr. Amsden, though never of a very robust physique, took 



400 HISTORY OP^ PENACOOK. 

up the load of work and care, not only carrying it on successfully, 
but soon began to increase the business, adding more buildings, 
machinery, and workmen, until the shops employed more men 
than any other industry in the village, and he was for several 
years the largest manufacturer of chamber furniture in New Eng- 
land. His business was a large factor in the life and prosperity of 
the village; during a period of twenty years, from 1870 to 1890, 
one million dollars were distributed as wages of the workmen, or 
an average of about five thousand dollars each month. Besides 
the furniture business, Mr. Amsden was in partnership with 
Hon. John Whitaker in the lumber business, sawing some 
3,000,000 feet of pine annually, which product was used by him 
in the manufacture of furniture. The cabinet shops were origi- 
nally operated by water power leased from the Contoocook Manu- 
facturing & Mechanic Company, but as the shops grew larger the 
need of more power became apparent, and Mr. Amsden built a 
brick boiler house and installed two large steam boilers, and com- 
pleted the arrangement by setting a powerful steam engine in the 
shop. Later on he added modern drying apparatus and a heat- 
ing system throughout the shops, which, together with an electric 
lighting plant, made up a very complete manufacturing establish- 
ment. 

During the years in which Mr. Amsden conducted this business 
he found time to take an active interest in all movements for the 
improvement of the village as well as becoming an active member 
of other concerns in the state and elsewhere. He was one of the 
organizers of the Concord Axle company, a director and presi- 
dent of that corporation for ten years or more. He was also a 
director in the Mechanicks National bank at Concord, a director 
of the Granite State Fire Insurance company, a director of the 
Portland & Ogdensburg railroad, a member of the water board 
of the Penacook and Boscawen Water Precinct, having been one 
of the originators and most active managers in the establishment 
of the water-works. He was instrumental in the establishment of 
the Concord Manufacturing company's business at the Borough, 
which made a large addition to the village industries; to secure 
this business he sold the company the land and water power for 
location of their mills at a nominal price ; his action in the matter 



HON. CHARLES H. AMSDEN. 4OI 

resulting in a benefit to the village rather than to himself. At 
about the same time as the erection of the woolen mills, Mr. 
Amsden built a large wooden factory at the Borough known as 
the Electric mill, and secured the establishment of the Whitney 
Electrical Instrument company's business, which has been another 
notable addition to the industries of the village. 

Mr. Amsden was instrumental in inducing the Concord Street 
railway to extend their road to Contoocook River park. By rea- 
son of his acquaintance with that section now occupied as a park, 
and knowing its adaptability for such use, he called the attention of 
the officers of the road to the matter, which met with such favor 
that negotiations were at once entered into which led to the com- 
summation of the project. As an inducement Mr. Amsden gave 
the right of way leading from Washington street to the river 
together with the right to enter upon the same for boating pur- 
poses, and sold to the railway company, at a nominal price, that 
section of land now occupied as a park, and which has now 
become one of the most delightful places to be found in the state. 
After twenty-five years of incessant labor in building up his own 
business and the business of the village, he was overtaken by 
financial difificulties which forced him to retire from business in 
1893. Mr. Amsden was from his youth afifiliated with the Dem- 
ocratic party in politics, and represented his ward as alderman of 
the city of Concord in 1874 and 1875; at the election in 1875 
he receix'cd the unanimous vote of his ward, an honor never 
accorded to any other candidate in the village. In 1882 he was 
elected to the state senate by a very complimentary ballot. In 
the campaigns of 1888 and 1890 Mr. Amsden was the Democratic 
candidate for governor of the state, and made a brilliant fight for 
the place, receiving the largest vote ever polled for a Democratic 
candidate in New Hampshire. During the World's fair at Chicago, 
in 1892, he was a member of the State Board of Commissioners 
and president of that body. 

Mr. Amsden joined the Baptist church at an early age, and 
grew up to be an influential and liberal member of that society, 
filling offices in church and Sunda\'-school for many years. In 
1888, as chairman of the building committee, Mr. Amsden super- 
intended the repairs and refurnishing of the Baptist church, and 



402 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

arranged the financial part of that undertaking, as well as contrib- 
uting the pulpit furniture and the fine stained glass window over 
the south gallery. Mr. Amsden was a prominent member of the 
New Hampshire club of Boston, the Union club of Penacook, 
Horace Chase lodge of Masons, Mount Horeb commandery of 
Knights Templar of Concord, and Aleppo Temple of the Mystic 
Shrine at Boston. Before leaving Penacook Mr. Amsden pre- 
sented a magnificent memorial book to W. I. Brown Post 31, 
G. A. R., in which there has been written a short record of each 
soldier who went from Penacook into the army in the Civil war 
of 1 86 1— '65. The book cost $100, and after being properly 
filled, was deposited in the state library at Concord. Soon after 
retiring from business Mr. Amsden was appointed deputy naval 
ofificer of the port of Boston, and has since resided in that city. 
On October 29, 1870, Mr. Amsden married Helen A., daughter 
of David and Martha A. (Daggett) Brown, by whom he had three 
children, — one son. Dr. Henry H. Amsden of Attleboro, Mass., 
and two daughters, both of whom died in infanc)-. His wife died 
in 1 89 1, and Mr. Amsden now resides with his aged mother at 

Boston. 

PROF. JOHN E. ABBOTT. 

John Elkins Abbott, son of Joseph and Mary (Elkins) Abbott, 
was born in Webster, N. H., November 18, 1834. While a youth 
the family moved to Penacook in 1848, and built a house on 
Summer street. John, with his \-ounger brothers, attended the 
village schools and worked in the Penacook mill when not at 
school. John soon showed an ambition to become a scholar 
rather than a workman ; he managed to attcntl the high school 
in the village, and in some way fitted himself for college. He 
entered Dartmouth in 1854, and completed the full course and 
graduated in 1858, having paid his way by teaching school dur- 
ing the winters and by working at other occupations as he could 
find opportunity. 

After leaving college he studied law in the ofilce of Minot and 
Mugridge at Concord, and was admitted to the Merrimack county 
bar about i860. In 1861 he left New England to find a home in 
the far West where he hoped to succeed in his profession. He first 
located in Benicia, Cal., where he was employed as teacher of 



PROF. JOHN E. ABBOTT. 



403 



law in a school in that city for about six years. In 1867 he took 
the position of cashier in a bank at Vallejo, Cal., remaining there 
until 1880; he then moved to San Francisco where he resided 
until 1885. While in San Francisco he served as supervisor of 
the city for two years. Having accumulated a fair competency, 
Professor Abbott desired a change from city life, and in 1885 he 




Prof. John E. Abuott. 



purchased a fine ranch at Mountain View, Santa Clara Co., where 
he erected a substantial residence and settled down as a country 
gentleman and engaged in the culture of grapes and fruit. 

In 1869 Professor Abbott returned to Penacook on a visit, and 
while at the old home married Mary Franc, daughter of Dr. 
Wm. H. Hosmer, and then with his wife returned to California. 
Their first son, Ralph Hosmer, born in December, 1870, now 



404 



HISTORY OF I'KXACOOK. 



resides at San Francisco. Their second son, Frank Brown, born 
in November, 1873, resides with his niotlier at the homestead in 
Monntain View, Cal. 

Professor Abbott was mortally wounded by being thrown from 
his carriage, and died November 13, 1887, and was buried with 
Masonic rites and honors, he having joined that order at Vallejo 
in 1868. His widow and son Frank made an extended visit at 
Penacook during the present year, returning to California in Sep- 
tember, 1900. 



DR. \V>F. II. 1I()SMP:R. 

William Henr}' Hosmer, son of Jacob and Catherine (Welling- 
ton) Hosmer, was born at Fast Concord, N. H., June 13, 1814. 
His parents moved to Boscawen, N. H., when he was two years 
old, and he resided there until he was twenty years old. He 
received his preliminary education at Boscawen acadeni}', and at 
Sanbornton Square academy. He began reading for his profes- 
sion June 13, 1835, ^^''*^h the late Dr. Thomas P. Hill of Sanborn- 
ton Square, N. H., and remained with him three years. He also 
attended two courses of lectures at the medical school of Dart- 
mouth college, and graduated July 25, 1838, with the degree of 
M. D. In September of 1838 he settled in New London, N. H., 
where he remained in successful practice nine \-ears. 

On account of the sickness of his brother-in-law, the late Dr. 
Thomas Sanborn, Air. Hosmer moved to Newport, N. }{., in 
1847, '^"d practised there for one year, and after the recovery of 
his brother-in-law, he mox'cd to Penacook in September, 1848, 
locating at this village by request of Dea. H. H. Brown although 
he had intended settling at Manchester. 

The doctor soon acquired a good practice in Penacook, and 
has continued in practice of his profession to the present date, a 
record of fifty-two x'cars' work, thcnigh for the past few years he 
attends only to office practice. At eight)'-si.\ years of age he is 
enjoying good health, and may continue his work for some years 
to come. About 1850 Dr. Hosmer jnirchasctl the Granite block, 
and kept the drug store, now occupied b\- W. C. Spicer, for about 
two years, and then sold the business to J. S. Rollins. 

Dr. Hosmer built the fine residence at the corner of Merrimack 



DR. WILLIAM II. IIOSMER. 



405 



and Center streets, which he has made his home for man\' years, 
and owns considerable other real estate in the village. On Sep- 
tember 5, 1838, Dr. Hosmer was married to Mary J. T. Sanborn 
of Sanbornton Square, and by the union they had four daughters, 
two of whom died in infancy, and two are living, Mary Franc, 
widow of the late Prof. J. E. Abbott of Mountain View, Cal., who 




i* 



Dr. VVii.i.iA.M H. Hos.MKR. 



with her two sons, Ralph and Frank, still resides in California. 
The other daughter, Ella Jane, is the wife of John Chadwick, 
of Penacook, having twin daughters, Julia A. and Jennie E., and 
resides on the opposite corner of Merrimack and Center streets. 
Mrs. Hosmer died March 6, 1863, aged 47 }-cars. On June 15, 
1865, Dr. Hosmer was married to Mrs. Julia A. Dunlap, but no 
children were born from this union ; and Mrs. Hosmer lived until 



406 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

April 29, 1899, when she died of Bright's disease in her eighty- 
seventh year. Dr. Hosmer was baptised by Rev. R. Sawyer in 
S.unapee lake, on February 28, 1843, and joined the Baptist 
church at New London, of which he is still a member. The doc- 
tor has never sought public ofificc, preferring to devote his atten- 
tion to the duties of his profession, and has afifiliated with the 
Democratic party in politics. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., 
but has joined no other society of that kind. Dr. Hosmer has 
now been practising his profession sixty-two }'ears, a record sel- 
dom equaled in that or any other profession. 

DR. E. E. GRAVES. 

Eli Edwin Graves, son of Daniel H. and Lusetta (Nash) Graves, 
was born at Jericho Center, Vt., September 9, 1847. His paternal 
ancestors were among the early settlers of Deerfield, Greenfield, 
and Hadley, Mass., the Vermont branch moving from Greenfield, 
Mass. He has in his possession an old parchment deed of a 
homestead in the town of Weathersfield, Mass., bought by his 
ancestor, John Graves, in 1653. On the maternal side the Nash 
family were among the early settlers of Weymouth, Mass., where a 
large branch of the family still resides. 

The genealogy of the Graves family shows the names of many 
eminent physicians, and in choosing his profession Dr. Graves 
was only preparing to continue the honorable record of the famih'. 
Dr. Graves was educated at the Essex Classical institute, and 
then read for his profession two years with Dr. F. F. Hovey at 
Jericho, Vt. He next spent two years with Professors Thayer and 
Carpenter at Burlington, Vt., graduating from the University of 
Vermont in June, 1868, and immediately entered the office of Dr. 
Walter Carpenter at Burlington. Vt. In September, 1868, Dr. 
Graves moved to Boscawen, N. H., where he succeeded to the 
practice of Dr. E. K. Webster, occupying the Dr. Webster home- 
stead and office. His practice soon extended to Penacook, so 
that about 1872 he opened an ofifice in Sanders block, where he 
has maintained his office until the present date. 

In the winter of 1876-77 he took a course in surgery at Har- 
vard university, a branch to which he has given much study and 
practice. Dr. Graves retained his residence at Boscawen until 



DR. ELI E. GRAVES. 



407 



1897, and while there took much interest in improving and beau- 
tifying the old Dr. Webster house and grounds, making it the 
most attractive residence in that fine old town. The increasing 
demand for his time and practice at Penacook necessitated his 
removal to that village, and having purchased and repaired the 
homestead of the Amsden family on Elm street, he moved his 




Dk. Eli K. Graves. 



family to the new location in 1897. His residence stands between 
two beautiful lawns adorned with trees, shrubbery, flowers, foun- 
tains, etc., all kept in such perfect order as to make the place a 
constant enjoyment to all his neighbors. He has a large and val- 
uable library to which he is making frequent additions; he has 
also an extensive mineralogical cabinet. 

Dr. Graves is still a student, and is not satisfied without learn- 



408 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

ing something more of liis profession or other h'nes of stud\' from 
day to day. His interest in archteolog)- and antiques is a pas- 
time, and he has one of the largest private collections in New 
England. One of his highly-prized articles is the old high posted 
desk used by Daniel Webster at his law office in Boscawen. 
Another is a very fine specimen of an Indian pipe found in the 
town of Canterbury, N. H. 

Dr. Graves has served on the Boscawen Board of Health ever 
since the organization, and for some }'cars was su-perintendent of 
the schools. He was honored by his townsmen by election as 
representative in the New Hampshire legislature for the years 
1888-89. 

Dr. Graves was the physician at the Merrimack Count}' alms- 
house for seventeen years, and is a consulting physician at the 
Margaret Pillsbury General hospital at Concord. He is a mem- 
ber of the New Hampshire Medical societ}', ex-president of the 
Center District Medical society, member of the American Medi- 
cal association, the American Public Health association, and the 
New Hampshire Historical societ}'. 

Dr. Graves was one of the original promoters of the enterprise 
for supplying the village with pure water from a pond in Bos- 
cawen, and is the chairman of the water board of the Penacook 
and Boscawen Water Precinct. He is a Free Mason, an Odd 
I'cllow, a member of the Knights of Honor and other societies. 

He is a member of the Congregational church of lioscawen and 
one of its most influential supporters. In political interests he 
afifiliates with the Republican part}'. 

Dr. Graves was married in i(S72 to Miss Martha A. Williams of 
Essex, Vt., by whom he has had three children, — Robert J., a 
graduate of Harvard university, and now attending Harvard Medi- 
cal school ; Katherine L., now attending a seminar}' at I-'ranklin, 
Mass.; and Lawrence K., who died in 1892. 

GE0RC;K N. DUTTOiX. 

George Newell Dutton, son of Rodney and Sarah A. (Folsom) 
Dutton, was born at Penacook, N. H., November, 27, 1850. His 
education was obtained in the common schools of his native place, 
and was completed at an early age, as he went to work learning 



GEORGE N. DUTTON. 



409 



the trade of wood carver when he was but fourteen. That was at 
the shop of Caldwell & Amsden, where he soon became an expert 
at the trade. After serving his time at the cabinet shop he went 
to Nashua to work at carving, and later on spent some time at 
Fitchburg, Mass., in the same occupation. Mr. Button returned 
to his native village in 1870, and went into business for himself as 
a wood carver, and carried on that work successfully until 1884. 




George N. Duttox. 



In that )'ear Mr. Dutton embarked in the dry goods business in 
company with J. P. Sanders. This was the business of his father, 
Rodney Dutton, who built and first occupied the Allen store as a 
dry goods merchant. In 1888 Mr. Dutton pu-rchased the interest 
of Mr. Sanders, and conducted the business alone until Septem- 
ber, 1900, when by reason of failing health he retired from busi- 
ness. Mr. Dutton was married in 1888 to Miss Lizzie H. Pres- 



4IO HIS TORY OF PENACOOK. 

cott, who has been his efficient partner in their attractive store in 
Sanders block. Mr. Button has not sought pubHc office, but 
has served his term as ward clerk. He has always been an earn- 
est Republican in politics, and a very efficient worker for the 
interests of his party. Although not a church member Mr. But- 
ton is of the Baptist congregation. 

Mr. Button has added materially to the good appearance of 
the village by the building of his fine homestead in a very sightly 
location near the Catholic church ; also by the erection of a large 
tenement house during the present year on Washington square. 

JOHN H. MOORE. 

John Howard Moore, son of John Sutton and Hannah (Bow) 
Moore, was born in Canterbury, N. H., May 22, 1852. After 
leaving the town schools he took a course of study at Penacook 
academy, and completed his education at Cornell university. 
After leaving college he was employed as a machinist at the 
shops of the Concord railroad, leaving that place to take a posi- 
tion as machinist and superintendent of repairs at the cotton mills 
of H. H. Brown & Sons. 

He next was emplo}'ed as traveling salesman b\' the Concord 
Axle company, being mostly in New England. The occupation 
proved to be well suited to Mr. Moore's abilities, so he secured a 
situation with the Somersworth Machine company of Bover in 
1888, to act as their traxeling salesman for northern New Eng- 
land, selling stoves and similar goods of that line. In this situa- 
tion he was quite successful, and remained with them mitil the 
company went out of business in 1899. Mr. Moore is one of the 
directors and general sales agent of the Euel Saving Radiator com- 
pany of Portland, Me., organized during the present year, and 
manufacturing an article of great utilit)', which he is placing on 
the market successfully. 

Mr. Moore is also a stockholder and director of the Concord 
Axle company of Penacook. He has served his ward as clerk, 
and has been honored by election as representative in the New 
Hampshire legislature. In 1 899 Mr. Moore was manager of the 
Alexander Sanitarium at Penacook. Mr. Moore is an active 
member and past master of Horace Chase lodge, E. & A. M., a 



JOHN II. M(30RE. 



411 



member of Trinity chapter, R. A. M., Horace Chase council, R. & 
S. M., Mount Horeb commandery, K. T., Edward A. Raymond 
consistory, S. V. R. S., having attained the thirty-second degree in 
Masonry, and is a companion of the Mystic Shrine. He is a past 
noble grand of the Contoocook lodge, I. O. O. F., and a charter 
member of Kearsarge lodge. Knights of Honor, in which organiza- 




JoilN H. MOOKE. 



tion he has served as grand dictator of the state, also as supreme 
representative to the sessions of the Supreme lodge of the world 
at Chicago in 1882 and St. Louis in 1883. He is also an active 
member of the White Mountain Travelers' association. 

In 1869 Mr. Moore joined the Baptist church at Ithaca, N. Y., 
and in 1871 removed his connection to the Pleasant Street Bap- 
tist church at Concord, and later to the First Baptist church at 



412 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Penacook, of which church he is a trustee, also superintendent of 
the Sunday-school. He was one of the original members of the 
Union club of Penacook. Mr. Moore was married June i8, 1874, 
to Isabel Nancy, youngest daughter of Deacon H. H. Brown. 
Their children are Herbert P'isher, born July 10, 1875, now a 
teacher at Cornell university; Marie Belle, who died in infancy; 
and Howard Brown, born August 8, 1883. Since his marriage 
Mr. Moore has kept his residence at Penacook, having a pleasant 
homestead on Elm street. 

GEORC.E FRANK SANBORN. 

George Francis Sanborn was born in Hooksett, N. H., in 
November, 181 5. His paternal grandfather was a native of 
\\\iles, and came to America as a soldier in the British army 
during the Revolutionary war, but instead of fighting against the 
American army, he deserted the British, became an American 
citizen, and assisted in gaining American independence. Later on 
he again joined the American arm\' in the War of 18 12, and did 
his full duty for his adopted countr}\ In times of peace he did 
much to build up the new country as he had five wives and 
twenty-four children, the youngest being born when Mr. Sanborn 
was past seventy years of age. On the maternal side his ances- 
tors were of Irish birth. Mr. Sanborn remained at Hooksett 
until six years old, then went to Manchester where he attended 
school, fniishiiig his school days at the age of thirteen. He came 
to Penacook in April, 1831, and eleven years later was married, 
November 27, 1842, to Martha M. Fowler, daughter of Jeremiah 
Prowler, a leading citizen of the Borough district. In the fol- 
lowing spring the)' moved into the house which the}^ have occu- 
pied to the present date. The large elm trees in front of the 
house were brought from the woods by Mrs. Sanborn and set out 
by her direction. Mr. Sanborn has been a farmer, lumberman, 
railroad contractor and builder, and teamster. P^or a long series 
of years he has teamed granite from the quarries at West Con- 
cord to Penacook. He has been highwa}- surveyor of the Bor- 
ough district nineteen )-ears. The only political ofifice that he 
has held was representative to the New Hampshire legislature. 
In politics Mr. Sanborn affiliates with the Democratic party, and 



(;K(n<GE K. SANBORN. 



413 



has been a leading man in the councils of the local organiza- 



tion. 



Mr. Sanborn and his wife were both converted under the 
preaching of Elder Harrinian of the Christian Baptist denomina- 
tion, and they were baptised in the Outlet in February, 1843 ; an 
opening was cut in the ice large enough to perform the ceremony 




(Jf.()R(;ic Frank Sanhokn. 
(1S40) 

in, and Rev. John Burdeen of Salisbury performed the rite. They 
have two children, — one daughter, Mrs. Edwin A. Bacon, and one 
son, Jerry F., a tlcaler in horses, carriages, etc., both residing at 
Penacook. 

In earlier years Mr. .Sanborn was a noted musician, his first 
instrument being a clarinet, and later a key bugle; those instru- 



414 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

nients he played at musters, and for parades of military com- 
panies and other organizatoins. When the first brass band was 
organized in the village in 1845, Mr. Sanborn took a leading 
position playing the key bugle. Again when the Fisherville 
Cornet band was organized, in 1858, he played with that band 
using a cornet instead of a bugle; his last band pla)ing was with 
Brown's band, which w^as formed in 1863. At eighty-five years 
of age Mr. Sanborn is still strong and hearty, and having an 
unusually good memory has given much assistance in the prepa- 
ration of this book. 

HON. EDWyVRD X. PEARSON. 

Edward Nathan Pearson, the honorable secretary of state, was 
a resident of Penacook for several years during his school days, 
and is still a frequent visitor at the Pearson homestead. He was 
born in the adjoining town of Boscawen, September 7, 1859, his 
parents being Hon. John C. Pearson and Elizabeth S. (Colby) 
Pearson, both still living in Penacook. He was fitted for college 
at the Warner High school and the Penacook academy, and was 
graduated from Dartmouth college in the class of 1881 with Com- 
mencement honors of high rank. 

The year following his graduation he was a teacher in the pub- 
lic schools of Washington, D. C, but at the end of that time he 
returned to New Hampshire and took up his residence in Con- 
cord, where he has since made his home, and has been a con- 
spicuous factor in much that has been undertaken to further the 
interests of the city. His first employment in Concord was as 
city editor of the Concord Evcnino- Moju'tor, and he was soon 
promoted to the associate editorship of the paper. In 1890 he 
was made managing editor and held that position until 1898, and 
for the last six years of that term adding to his duties those of 
business manager of the Republican Press association. In the fall 
of 1897 ^''c was instrumental in organizing the Rumford Printing 
company, and was its first manager, holding that position until 
March, 1899, when he was elected secretary of state. In this 
position he makes an ideal public of^cer, his uniform courtesy, 
his wide acquaintance with men and affairs in New Hampshire, 
and his knowledge of procedure being special features of an 



« 



HON. EDWARD N. PEARSON. 



415 



equipment which qualifies him in an eminent degree for the place 
which he fills so acceptably. In Governor Rollins's plans and 
activities for the success of " Old Home Week " he has found an 
interested assistant in the efficient secretary of state, who, himself 
a typical son of modern New Hampshire, has been enabled to 
grasp the possibilities and influences of "Old Home Week" and 




^ 



Hox. Edward N. Pearson. 

to further them by his quick insight and great capacity for detail. 
Mr. Pearson takes an active interest in the Grange organization, 
being a member of Capital grange of Concord. He attends the 
Congregational church, following the custom of his ancestors for 
several generations. 

On December 6, 1882, Mr. Pearson married Addie M. Sargent 
of Lebanon, N. H., and to them have been born four children, — 
Edward N., Robert H., John W., and Mildred. 



41 6 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

HON. MARCELLUS GOULD. 

Marcellus Gould, son of Moses and Mary A. (Dodge) Gould, 
was born at Chelsea, Vt., December 20, 1845. where he spent his 
school days, attending the public schools and the Chelsea acad- 
emy. In 1 86 1, at sixteen years of age, he went to Manchester, 
N. H., and began work in the Langdon mill. There he was pro- 
moted to the second hand place in the carding department within 
the first three }'cars, and in less than si.x )'ears occupied the 
important position of overseer of carding. In 1867 he was 
offered the position of overseer of carding at the Wauregan mills 
where he remained some ten years. In January, 1881, he 
returned to Manchester and entered the cmplo}' of the Anioskeag 
corporation, having charge of carding first in their No. 5 mill, 
and was next transferred to the new No. 9 mill where he had 400 
cards to look after. In 1886 he was made superintendent of all 
the carding and picking of the Anioskeag compan\-, having 2,200 
cards to attend, as well as the selection of the cotton in which 
he is a recognized expert. 

In 1895 Mr. Gould was offered and accepted the position of 
agent for the Falls company of Norwich, Conn. This corpora- 
tion was then in a bad condition, but was managed so well by 
Mr. Gould that in three )'ears he paid off the debts and began 
paying dividends. 

In 1899 Mr. Gould organized the New Hampshire Spinning 
Mills corporation at Penacook, purchased the old Penacook mill 
and water power of the Contoocook Manufacturing and Mechanic 
company, and repaired the factory thoroughly, throwing out the 
old machinery and replacing it with the best modern machinery 
for manufacturing fine cotton yarns. Mr. Gould being the presi- 
dent and manager of the cor})oration, he moved his famil}' to Pen- 
acook early in 1900, and took a residence on Webster place. While 
residing at Manchester Mr. Gould was quite prominent in the 
Republican party, being elected a representative to the New- 
Hampshire legislature in 1888 and 1892, and a state senator in 
1894. While in Norwich, Conn., he was president of the .schooF 
board. In 1893 Mr. Gould was appointed a judge of textile 
machinery at the World's fair at Chicago where he spent two 



HON. MARCELLUS GOULD. 



417 



months attending to that duty, and was specially commended by 
the board of judges for his faithful labors. He was also selected 
by the bureau of awards as the historian of the textile machinery 
department. 

Mr. Gould is a thirty-second degree Mason, also an Odd Fel- 
low. He has been twice married; first on August i, 1867, to 




Hox. Makcellus Gould. 



Clara C. Crasc of Manchester. By this union there was one 
daughter, Mrs. Ella B. Quint, born December 15, 1869. Mrs. 
Gould died in March, 1894. In April, 1895, Mr. Gould was 
married to Miss Priscilla M. Bird of Manchester, N. H. 

In 1 90 1 Mr. Gould purchased the fine Abbott homestead on 
Summer and Merrimac streets. 



4i8 



HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. 



WILLIAM W. ALLEN. 

William Wade Allen, son of Dea. William H. and Hannah 
(Brown) Allen, was born at Penacook, October 17, 1848, and 
received his education at the public schools of the village, where 
he has always resided. 

After his school days were over he entered his father's store to 




William W. Allen. 

learn the dry goods business. In that business he soon became 
an expert salesman, and has so continued to the present date. 
He gradually took up more and more of the business cares until 
1886, when he purchased his father's business and has since con- 
ducted it on his own account. The Allen store has alwaj's been 
a popular place of business, and the present proprietor has kept 
up its reputation and increased the volume of business. 



CHARLES ABBOTT. 419 

Mr. Allen has found time to take an active interest in all the 
public affairs of the \Mllage. In politics he has been a very effi- 
cient manager in the interests of the Republican party, serving as 
an officer of the local club most of the time, also has served as 
ward clerk several years. He was honored by election as repre- 
sentative to the New Hampshire legislature in 1877, the last year 
of the annual sessions of that body, and again in 1878, the first of 
the biennial sessions. For many years he was connected with 
the Pioneer Fire Engine company, and was appointed assistant 
engineer of the Concord Fire department, in which office he did 
efficient service. He served his ward as alderman in the years 
1889 and 1890. In the school district he was an officer many 
years, serving as clerk mostly. He has been a member of the 
Woodlawn Cemetery association about twenty years, having 
served as secretary and treasurer for the last fourteen years, and 
has added the duties of sexton for the last eleven years. He 
is a member of the First Baptist church of which he is also 
the clerk. Mr. Allen is a past master of Horace Chase lodge, 
F. & A. Masons, and a member of Trinity chapter, Horace Chase 
council, and Mount Horeb commandery, Knights Templar. He 
was also the original treasurer of the Union club. 

Mr. Allen was married November 10, 1870, to Miss Josie E. 
Moore of Penacook, and the}' have had two children, Harley 
Wade, who died in infancy, and Grace Wade, now living with her 
parents at the family homestead on Summer street. 

CHARLES ABBOTT. 

Charles Abbott, the veteran drummer, was born in the house 
on Water street, just at the top of the hill above the Harris mills, 
on July 29, 1822, and has always lived in the village, being one 
of the oldest citizens born within the village limits. His parents 
were Timothy and Rhoda J. (Johnson) Abbott. His father was 
a carpenter by trade and built the house where Charles was 
born. 

Mr. Abbott attended the public schools of the village during 
his youth, but began work at quite an early age, his first employ- 
ment being driving teams from Penacook to Concord for H. H. & 
J. S. Brown. He later worked in their cotton mills. After the 



420 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Harris mills were built Mr. Abbott was employed in the carding 
room for twenty-eight years. He next went to the cabinet shops, 
where he served a term of seventeen years mostly in teaming the 
furniture to the railroad station. Since the close of the cabinet 
shop he has kept busy at various occupations when his health 
would permit. When a boy Mr. Abbott learned the use of the 




L'llAKl.K.S AjUiOTT, 



tenor or snare drum, and soon became an expert performer on 
that instrument. The first drum that he ever owned, bought in 
1S40, has been in use for full}' sixty years, and is still an excel- 
lent instrument. Mr. Abbott played the drum for the old line 
militia companies at musters and parades for several }'ears before 
the old militia organization was abandoned, and has continued 
playing to tlic present date. He played the drum for the first 



B. FRANK VARNEY. 421 

band, the Fisherville Brass band organized in 1845, and continued 
through the whole Hfe of that band. He did the same service in the 
Fisherville Cornet band organized in 1858, and which continued 
till the summer of 1863, being then disbanded by reason of the 
enlistment of seven of the members in the Third Regiment band. 

After the return of the men from the army, another band was 
started called Brown's band, and Mr. Abbott was again a member, 
making in all some twenty-three years' service in bands. 

Mr. Abbott has been twice married ; first to Martha Haselton 
by whom he had four children, Rose, Martha E., Nahum G., and 
Willie B. Abbott; the two sons are still living. His wife Martha 
died September 5, 1861, and in the following year he married 
Sarah E. Haselton, a cousin of his first wife. By this union there 
have been four children, three of whom died in childhood ; the 
remaining son, Fred C. Abbott, is employed at the store of 
Foote, Brown & Co. 

B. FRANK VARNEY. 

Benjamin Franklin Varney, son of Ebenezer and Rhoda (Ladd) 
Varney, was born at Sandwich, N. H., January i, 1837. While 
he was quite young his parents removed to Belmont, N. H., where 
he obtained his schooling. About 1854 he went with his parents 
to live at East Concord, N. H., and was there up to the com- 
mencement of the Civil war, when he enlisted April 22, 1861, for 
three months in Company B, Second Regiment, New Hampshire 
Volunteers. He reenlisted on May 21 of the same year for three 
years, and was mustered in June i, 1861. He was wounded May 
16, 1864, at Drury's Bluff, Va., and was mustered out June 21, 
1864, serving a little more than three years. On his return from 
the army he resided at Concord for several years, and became a 
member of Sturtevant Post, No. 2, G. A. R. He came to Pena- 
cook in 1882 and purchased the Blanchard place at the Borough, 
where he carried on farming and teaming operations quite exten- 
sively. On September 26, 1892, his house was struck by light- 
ning and burned, and Mr. Varney himself narrowly escaped injury 
or death from the electric current. Two young men, his nephews, 
were standing on each side of him and were both struck and 
burned, but both recovered. 



422 



HISTORV OF TENACOOK. 



After the loss of his house at the Borough Mr. Varney pur- 
chased the Isaac Boyce place at 17 Bye street, where he has since 
resided. He also purchased the large barn formerly owned by 
the Gage family, to accommodate his horses and cattle. Mr. 
Varney has always been engaged in farming, and owns farming 
lands at Penacook and at Boscawen. Aside from farminer he has. 




B. Frank Varnkv. 

done a large amount of lumbering and teaming. He has done 
lumbering in the Crawford Notch at the White Mountains, on 
Kearsarge mountain, and in the towns of Concord, Loudon, Can- 
terbury, ]-5oscawen, Warner, Webster, and Salisbury. He is an 
expert in getting logs out of the woods, and has done some mar- 
velous feats in that line. Mr. Varney graded the railroad from 
Fabyans to the foot of Mount Washington, and graded the site for 



I 



E. SlIKLDOX HARRIS. 423 

the buildings at the Transfer. He has also done some work at 
putting in foundations for buildings. Butchering is another of his 
occupations, though teaming, next to farming, is his principal 
trade. At present he has ten horses and seven head of cattle. 
Mr. Varney is a Republican in politics but has had no time to 
accept office, except that he has been highwa)^ surveyor at times, 
and served occasionally on the police force. In 1894 Mr. Varney 
took a transfer from the post at Concord and joined the W. I. 
Brown Post 3 i at Penacook of which he is now the efficient com- 
mander. In 1898 Mr. Varney organized the Grange in Penacook, 
and has been the master of that society ever since its organiza- 
tion. In religious interests Mr. Varney inclines to the Baptist 
faith. 

E. SliELDON HARRIS. 

Ezra Sheldon Harris, son of Dea. Almon and Phebe (Sheldon) 
Harris, was born November 27, 1827, at Marlow, N. H., and was 
educated in the schools of Marlow and Nelson, and later on at 
the Fisherville high school, kept by D. B. Whittier in the brick 
schoolhouse on the Boscawen side. 

While a youth he learned the business of wool carding and 
cloth dressing in his father's mill at Nelson, and continued work- 
ing at the woolen business after his father moved to Penacook, 
where he and his brother, Almon A., after serving a long appren- 
ticeship, were taken into partnership with their father under the 
firm name of A. Harris & Sons. 

Deacon Harris died in September, 1876, and the two sons con- 
tinued the business under the name of E. S. Harris & Co., until 
1882, when Sheldon purchased the interest of his brother Almon, 
and continued as sole proprietor until his death in 1893. Mr, 
Harris was a man of marked ability in his own line of business, 
thoroughly skilled in all its various branches, and was widely 
known throughout the state in mercantile and manufacturing 
circles. Under his management there were many important 
improvements made in the machinery and processes of manufac- 
ture, so that he kept the business fully " up to the times," and 
maintained an enviable reputation for the goods manufactured at 
his mill. Mr. Harris was a man of upright moral character and 



424 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



correct habits; of a quiet, unostentatious disposition, but genial 
and courteous at all times. He had in a marked degree that 
desirable quality of mind which is expressed by the term " level- 
headed." In his relations to the workmen in his factory, he was 
liberal, considerate, and just, and was respected and beloved by 
them to a greater extent than is usual in such relations. 




K. Sheldon Harris. 



As a citizen Mr. Harris was universally esteemed by the whole 
community, and was called to servo in the various offices in the 
town, and was honored with an election as representative of Bos- 
cawen in the state legislature. In his earlier years of residence 
in Penacook Mr. Harris gave sonic attention to music; he had a 
very fine bass voice, and sang for several years in the choirs of 
the Baptist and the Congregational churches. He was also a 



EDSON H. iMATTICE. 425 

prominent member of the Fisherville Cornet band, organized in 
1858, in which he played a tuba. He was one of the early mem- 
bers of Horace Chase lodge, and took much interest in the work 
of that organization. 

Mr. Harris was twice married; first, on June 20, i860, to 
Cassandra A., daughter of Nathan B. Green of Penacook, by 
whom he had one daughter, Grace Green, now the wife of Guy H. 
Hubbard, and one son, Robert Lincoln Harris. Mrs. Harris died 
November 5, 1865, and Mr. Harris was married the second time 
to Sarah Amelia Green, sister of his first wife. From this union 
there were three children, Harry Sheldon, Almon Green, and 
Lucy Cassandra. In 1890 Mr. Harris built a large and elegant 
residence on Tremont street, but lived only until 1893 to enjoy it; 
it is now occupied by his widow and three of the children, and is 
one of the most desirable homesteads of the village. 

Mr. Harris died March 22, 1893, ^"d his funeral was attended 
by a large company of relatives, friends, and citizens ; and it was 
a day of general mourning throughout the community. The 
funeral services were conducted by the Congregational pastor, 
Rev. Edward G. Spencer, and by Rev. John H. Larry of Prov- 
idence, R. L, a former pastor and very intimate friend of the 
family. The singing was by the South Congregational choir of 
Concord : Mrs. Brown, soprano ; Miss Jenkins, alto ; Mr. Conant, 
tenor; and Mr. Scribner, basso. The burial was in the family 
lot in Woodlawn cemetery. 

EDSON H. MATTICE. 

Edson Henry Mattice, son of Henry Vroonian and Phebe Ann 
(Owen) Mattice, was born at Batavia, N. Y., March 15, 1859. 
In that city he obtained his education, attending the public 
schools and later on Thrall seminary. At nineteen years of age 
he entered the Merchant and Custom Flouring mill of Olmsted, 
McDonald & Co., at Batavia, as an apprentice, and served with 
that firm three years, learning the art of making flour, in which 
occupation he has continued to the present day. In 1881, after 
completing his apprenticeship, he went to Buffalo, N. Y., and took 
a position in the new six hundred and fifty barrel flour mill of 
Esser, Ogden & Co., and two years later he accepted a similar 



426 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



position at the flour mill of Stratton, Merrill & Co., at Penacook, 
where he began work in July. 1883. In this place he served his 
employers so acceptably that in 1891 he was advanced to the 
position of foreman, a very responsible and exacting ofhce. In 
other lines aside from business Mr. Mattice has an active interest 
and leading position. He is an ardent Republican in politics. 




Edson H. Mattice. 

being a very effective worker in the town organization, and in 
1894 was elected a member of the State Central committee. 
Taking much interest in the school system, he was chosen a 
member of the board of education in 1898 for a three years' term. 
Mr. Mattice took his first three degrees in Masonry in Horace 
Chase lodge, No. 72, and soon advanced through the several 
offices to the worshipful master's chair to which he was elected 



SERGT. HALE CHAD WICK, 42/ 

twice. He has also taken the chapter and council degrees in 
Masonry at Concord. He is a member of Contoocook lodge, No. 
26, I. O. O. F., and serving as noble grand at the present date. 
Mr. Mattice was married in April, 1893, to Jeanette Abbott Gage, 
daughter of Cah'in Gage, one of the most prominent citi- 
zens of the village. They have two sons, Russell Chandler and 
Richard Gage Mattice, and the family are regular attendants at 
the Congregational church. 

SERGT. HALE CHADWICK. 

Hale Chadwick, son of Laban M. and Eliza (Hale) Chadwick, 
was born at Boscawen, N. H., October 3, 1841. On the paternal 
side of the family his grandfather was Capt. Samuel Chadwick, 
and his great-grandfather was Dea. Edmund Chadwick, a soldier 
of the Revolutionary War. On the maternal side his great- 
grandmother was a cousin of Capt. Nathan Hale, the martyr spy 
of the Revolutionary army, who said with his last breath, " I only 
regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." 

His boyhood years were spent with his parents on the farm, 
during which time he attended the common school and the Bos- 
cawen academy. For several years before the war he followed 
the sea as an occupation, serving on sailing packets running 
between Liverpool and New York ; also, he made several trips to 
the Grand Banks of Newfoundland as a fisherman ; and during 
these years saw much of the world, as well as many dangers and 
trials. On September 28, 1861, while still under age, he enlisted 
in Co. F (Captain Caldwell), Second Regiment, U. S. Sharp- 
shooters, for three years, or during the war, but was discharged 
November 26, 1861, by reason of being a minor. About one 
month after attaining his majority he reenlisted, November 29, 
1862, in Co. C, Seventeenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volun- 
teers, and was promoted to second sergeant on December 23, 1862, 
This regiment was not filled, and the men were transferred to other 
regiments. Sergeant Chadwick, with the other ofificers, was mus- 
tered out April 16, 1863. He again reenlisted, September 5, 1864, 
in Co. B, Eighteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, and 
was appointed and served as orderly for Maj. Wm. I. Brown, 
while he was in command of the regiment, and until he was killed 



428 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



at Fort Stedman ; after that he served in the same position for 
Major Potter. 

Sergeant Chadvvick was at the siege of Petersburg, December, 
1864, to February, 1865 ; the battles of Fort Stedman, March 25 
and 29; battle of Petersburg, April 2, and capture of Petersburg, 
April 3, 1865. He was recommended to the secretary of war for 




SEKGT. HaLIC CllADWlCK. 

a medal of honor by Capt. E. F. Smith of Co. B, Eighteenth 
Regiment, and by Col. and Brevet. Brig. Gen. J. M. Clough, 
commanding the regiment at that time, for gallant and merito- 
rious conduct at the battle of Fort Stedman. He was honorably 
discharged June 10, 1865, by reason of the close of the war. 

Sergeant Chadwick came to Penacook shortly after his dis- 
charge from the army. He was then a good all-round athlete, 



EVERETT L. DAVIS. 429 

proficient in swimming, wrestling, boxing, etc., and was able to 
lift 800 pounds with his hands alone, although weighing but 150 
pounds and only five feet six inches in height. He first engaged 
in the grocery business in company with C. H. Fowler, and two 
years later, in 1867, gave that up and bought out the dry-goods 
store of Geo. W. Abbott, later, in company with his brother John, 
adding the boot and shoe line to the business. In 1870 he bought 
out the millinery store of Mrs. G. W. Abbott, and in this business, 
in company with his wife, he has continued to the present date. 

Sergeant Chadwick was made a Master Mason in Horace Chase 
lodge, No. 72, on December 23, 1863. On November 27, 1867, 
he married Ellen, daughter of Alpheus C. Flint of Boscawen. 
He was appointed a justice of the peace for the state of New 
Hampshire on September 27, 1887. 

Mr. Chadwick is still an expert in the use of the rifle and other 
weapons, and is a prominent member of the rifle and gun clubs 
of Penacook, and of the Concord Gun club. In April, 1898, he 
offered his services to the governor of New Hampshire, to raise a 
company of riflemen or sharpshooters for service in the Spanish 
War. 

He is, of course, a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, 
being an officer of W. I. Brown Post 31. He is a great lover of 
field sports, and spends many days with the gun or rod in the 
forests or on the streams and lakes of New England. 

EVERETT L. DAVIS. 

Everett Lendall Davis, son of F. Evans and Mary L. (Whit- 
comb) Davis, was born in Warner, N. H., June 27, 1863. His youth 
was spent in his native town, and there he received his school- 
ing. He later resided at Concord for a time, and moved to Pena- 
cook in the spring of 1889. In partnership with his brother, 
Eugene, he bought out the teaming business of Charles N. Bean, 
which had been in the hands of the Bean family nearly forty years. 

When the Davis Bros, took up the business the equipment 
consisted of four horses with harnesses and wagons to match. 
They carried on the business for four years together, then Eugene 
sold his interest to his brother Everett, who has since conducted 
the business alone. 



430 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Under his management the business has been greatly enlarged 
by taking up other lines of work. The original business was con- 
fined mostly to carting freight to and from the railroad station, and 
to that Mr. Davis has added the carting of granite from the stone 
sheds at Concord to the polishing shops on Commercial street, 
and returning the same after the stone has been polished, and 
carting lumber from the sawmills to the railroad station. He has 
taken up the coal, wood, and ice business, which makes a large 




Everett L. D.wis. 



addition, as he delivers some fifteen hundred tons of coal, eight 
hundred cords of wood, and a thousand tons of ice annually. His 
business now gives employment to sixteen men and twenty-six 
horses. He has an office in the Coburn block over the canal, with 
a five-ton scale just outside and the scale beam in the office, so 
that the clerk can do the weighing without going outside. 

Mr. Davis is an active member of the Republican party, and has 
been a supervisor in his ward, also has served as road agent. He 



HENRY H. AMSDEN. 43 I 

is a member of Contoocook lodge, I. O. O. F., Rebekah lodge, 
United Order of the Golden Cross, and of the Union Club. His 
religious affiliations are with the Baptist denomination. On Octo- 
ber 14, 1 89 1, Mr. Davis married Miss Nellie M. Wales of Concord, 
and they have one son, Lendall E. Davis, born January 30, 1898. 
Mrs. Davis is a lineal descendant in the sixth generation from the 
heroic Hannah Dustin of Haverhill, Mass. 

HENRY H. AMSDEN. 

Henry Hubbard Amsden, a descendant in the sixth generation 
from Isaac Amsden of Cambridge, Mass., was born in Mason, 
N. H., Sept. 14, 1 8 16. After receiving a meagre education in 
the public schools he learned the trade of tinsmith, and worked 
at the bench for a number of years. On August 6, 1840, he mar- 
ried Mary Muzzey of New Ipswich, N. H., and soon afterward 
moved to Springfield, and later to Boston, ahd to Worcester, 
Mass., from which latter place he moved to Penacook in May, 
1848. He immediately established himself in the tin business in 
Mechanics block, under the store now occupied by Isaac Baty. 
Almost immediately after that he erected the block now occupied 
by Bean's bakery, moving his business to the new quarters in 
October, 1848. The work on this block was hurried forward so 
as to be ready for the trade coming from the adjoining towns, on 
account of the annual "cattle show" which at that period was 
held in October, on what was then called the " common," being 
the vacant land near the school house, but now occupied by the 
residences of Geo. W.Abbott, John Coburn, and others. In 1850, 
he sold his interest in the business to his partner, George Sanders 
of New Ipswich, and went to California to seek a fortune in the 
gold mines. On account of sickness he was absent but one year, 
returning in 1 851, after which he entered into partnership with 
Samuel Merriam, and bought back the tin business which he sold 
in 1850, and continued the business under the firm name of 
Amsden & Merriam, until the year 1857, when they sold out to 
John P. Hubbard of Manchester, N. H. In 1852 Mr. Amsden 
entered into partnership with B. F. Caldwell in the cabinet shop. 
At the same time Mr. Merriam purchased an interest in the 
same business, which was conducted under the firm name of 



432 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Caldwell, Amsden & Co.. In 1862 Mr. Merriam's interest was 
purchased by the other partners, and the style of the firm was 
changed to Caldwell & Amsden. In 1867 Mr. Amsden purchased 
the interest of Mr. Caldwell, and with his sons, George H. and 
Charles H., continued the business under the firm name of H. H. 
Amsden & Sons. Mr. Amsden was also engaged with John 




llKNUiV II. A.M.SUK.\. 



Whitaker in the lumber business, having in 1 865 bought of Eben F. 
Elliott the sawmill at the Borough, and with Mr. Caldwell formed a 
co-partnership styled John Whitaker & Co. The following year 
they took down the old mill ant! built a larger modern mill on the 
same location. For several years they carried on the largest 
lumber business in the southern part of the state, sawing about 
3,000,000 feet per annum, the product being worked up into pine 



CAPT. LEONARD DROWN. 433 

furniture at the cabinet shop of H. H. Amsden & Sons. Mr. 
Amsden's health failed gradually for several years, and he died 
December 6, 1869, and was buried in Woodlawn cemetery. He 
was survi\'ed by his wife and two sons. 

CAPT. LEONARD DROWN. 

[CONTRIHUTED BY HON. J. C, LINEIIAN.] 

The subject of this sketch was among the first to volunteer 
when the attack on Fort Sumter aroused the citizens of the 
Granite state to defend the liberties of the nation, and he was 
the first of^cer from New Hampshire to fall in battle. 

The heroic dead need no eulogy from the living, their fame is 
forever assured ; but it is well that from the turmoil and rush of 
our busy life we should pause a moment to contemplate the lofty 
patriotism, the sacrificing spirit, the heroic deeds, the courage 
that never faltered, that marked the lives of the men whose names 
are inscribed on New Hampshire's roll of honor. 

Born in Rehoboth, Mass., December 12, 18 19, he passed his 
early years as other boys in rural communities, improving what 
opportunities were within his reach for acquiring an education, 
and early in life developing a taste for solid reading which in- 
creased with }-ears. Of an adventurous spirit, his inclinations led 
him to go to sea, but at the earnest solicitation of his family, he 
abandoned the idea and at Providence, R. I., he served his ap- 
prenticeship as blacksmith and worked at that trade until he 
exchanged the hammer and anvil for the sword. Early in life he 
showed a predilection for military discipline and joined the 
" United Train of Providence Artillery," a crack Rhode Island 
organization. Coming to Fisherville in 1S54, he identified him- 
self with the interests of the community and his record as a good 
citizen is without blemish. 

The outbreak of civil strife found him enjoN'ing life at home 
with wife and three young children, to whom he was tenderly 
attached, claiming his care and attention. No one sacrificed 
more than he in defense of the nation's liberties, but his mind was 
soon made up and he at once raised a company with the expec- 
tation of joining the First Regiment, New Hampshire Volun- 
teers. To his own bitter disappointment, for the opinion pre- 
29 



434 



HISTORY OF TENACOOK. 



vailed that the war would be ended in a few weeks, the 
regiment was filled before his company was accepted, but 
the call for 300,000 three years' men came and reenlist- 
ing for that term, the company went to Portsmouth and 
joined the Second regiment, of which he was senior captain at his 
death. 





Cai't. Lkonaiuj Drown. 



In person he was the beau ideal of a soldier — tall, erect, and 
with a military bearing which would distinguish him in a throng. 
A strict disciplinarian, of few words, but those were well chosen 
and to the point, and with eyes that would fairly blaze when 
aroused. 

We need not dwell on the narrative of his service in the regi- 
ment. The record of the Second is a matter of history, and while 
he lived his best efforts were put forth to advance its fame. 



CAPT. LEONARD DROWN. 435 

With the exception of a brief vnsit at home in the early winter 
of 1862, he was with his command, sharing their toils and dan- 
gers and fulfiUing the predictions of his friends as to his success in 
the field, and at the battles of Bull Run and Williamsburg estab- 
lishing his reputation as one of the bravest officers of the regi- 
ment. 

After the battle of Bull Run, in conversation with a friend, he 
intimated his chagrin at the defeat and expressed the wish that 
they might have a fair chance to retrieve the disasters of that day. 
''A fair field and no favors" was all he asked; a characteristic of 
the man. 

He never realized his wish, for at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862, 
he fell before the victory, fighting bravely, and doubtless enraged 
at heart that a single division should bear the brunt of battle with 
the whole of Johnston's army, while thousands of comrades were 
at hand who might have supported them. General Hooker, in 
his report, says: "History will not be believed when it is told that 
my division were permitted to carry on this unequal struggle from 
morning until night, unaided, in the presence of more than 30,000 
of their comrades with arms in their hands. Nevertheless it is 
true." 

Although fighting at fearful odds, it is certain that he showed 
no signs of fear; if their numbers were small, their valor was 
equal to the occasion. ChaVge after charge failed to break their 
lines, and so in the rage of battle he fell, leaving an honored name 
and a bright example to American citizens. 

His body was sent home, and the citizens vied with each other 
in honoring his memory. He was buried May 20, 1862, by the 
Masonic fraternity, of which he was an honored member, the 
Governor's Horse Guards doing escort dut\% and his remains fol- 
lowed to the grave by the governor and council, city officials, and 
a vast concourse of citizens. 

The sad experience was often repeated but we think no one 
who was present can forget the solemnity which prevaded all 
hearts as the first victim of the Secession War was brought home 
for burial. 



436 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



WILLIAM C. SPICER. 

William Carpenter Spicer, son of Erastus E. and Sarah L. (Car- 
penter) Spicer, was born in Royalton,Vt., November 24, 1865, and 
was educated at the public schools of W'aterbury, Vt. At the age 
of twenty years he went West, and was for one and a half }'ears in 
the employ of the Capital City Malleable Iron Co., of Alban}', 




William C. Spicer. 



N. Y., as salesman for the states of Kansas and Missouri, making 
Topeka his headquarters. He came to Penacook November 8, 
1888, and entered the drug store of J. Irving Hoyt as clerk, and 
held that position for seven years. In the fall of 1895 he pur- 
chased the drug store of C. H. Fowler, located at the north end 
of Granite block, and known for a generation as the old Rollins 



HORACE B. SHERBURNE. 437 

Store. This store has been improved by Mr. Spiccr in many ways 
since his purchase. He has put in a $1,200 soda fountain, modern 
double deck show-cases, cash register, etc., to bring the estabhsh- 
ment " up to date." He now carries one of the largest stocks of 
drugs, chemicals, patent medicines, paints, oils, and varnishes in 
the state. In politics Mr. Spicer acts with the Republican party, 
and has served his ward as supervisor. At the organization of the 
Alexander Sanitarium Mr. Spicer became a large stockholder and 
director of the corporation. In Masonry he has attained to the 
3 2d degree, being a member of Horace Chase lodge. Trinity 
chapter, Horace Chase council, Mount Horeb commandery, Ed- 
ward A. Raymond consistory, and Aleppo Temple. Mr. Spicer 
was married to Millie Laws Henry, in September, 1895, and 
resides on South Main street at the junction of Pleasant street, 
having purchased the place of L. W. Everett, and, having repaired 
and refurnished it, he now has a desirable homestead. The family 
are attendants of the Baptist church. 

HORACE B. SHERBURNE. 

The present postmaster of the village, Horace Bickford Sher- 
burne, was born at Epsom, N. H., October 17, 1862. His parents 
were Captain James M. and Lucy C. (Bickford) Sherburne. His 
father died when Horace was five years old, leaving his family a 
farm and but little money, and as Horace was the oldest son he 
learned to work for himself and others at an early age. His 
school days in his native town were supplemented by a limited 
attendance at the Alton high school. At the age of nineteen he 
left farm work and became a clerk in a store at Epsom, where he 
remained until 1886, and then he moved to Penacook where he 
has since resided. On arrival he entered the store of Foote, 
Brown & Co., as clerk, retaining that position for six years, until 
stricken with a severe sickness which confined him to the house 
for a }'ear or more, and left him with both arms so nearly paralyzed 
as to incapacitate him for any such work as he was before doing. 
Notwithstanding this severe affliction Mr. Sherburne took up his 
new life cheerfully and hopefully, first beginning work again as a 
book canvasser, at which he was quite successful. In 1895 he was 
appointed doorkeeper of the New Hampshire senate for two 



438 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



years, and in April, 1897, ^^^ went into partnership with W'ilHs G. 
Buxton, Esq., in the fire insurance business, succeeding to the in- 
terest of the late Isaac K. Gage; the new firm being styled Bux- 
ton & Sherburne. 

In February, 1899, Mr. Sherburne was installed as postmaster 
of Penacook. He had at first Miss Hattie Tucker as one of his 




HoKACE B. Sherburne. 

assistants, and at the present date has Mrs. Sherburne and his son 
for assistants. When this post-ofiicc was consolidated with the 
Concord office in June, 1900, Mr. Sherburne was continued as 
clerk-in-chargc of the Penacook branch. Mr. Sherburne is an 
earnest Republican in politics, and has served his ward as super- 
visor. In religious belief he is a Freewill Baptist, but as there was 
no church of that denomination in the village he joined the Meth- 
odist church soon after his arrival in the villaee. 



WILLIAM S. KIMBALL. 439 

In April, 1884, Mr. Sherburne was married to Miss Eliza J. 
Holmes of Epsom, and they have one son, Ralph H. Sherburne, 
now employed as a clerk at the post-office. 

W.M. S. KIMBALL. 

One of the bo\-s born in Penacook, who in later years achieved 
distinction and became a millionaire, was William Smith Kimball, 
son of Col. \Vm. Moody Kimball and Lucy Jane (Johnson) Kim- 
ball, his mother being one of the daughters of Reuben Johnson, 
the second landlord of the old tavern on the Boscawen side. He 
was born in the old Plummer house next east of the tavern, and 
received his early schooling in the little red schoolhouse on 
Queen street as well remembered by the writer. A few }'ears 
later his father moved the family to Lawrence, Mass., where Wil- 
liam attended the public schools. Later on he attended Prof. 
Hildreth's academy in Derry, and finally took a course of 
instruction at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Tro}^ N. Y., 
fitting himself for the profession of mechanical engineer. He then 
came to Concord and entered the machine shop of the Concord 
railroad, to learn the machinist's trade under the management of 
his cousin, Hon. B. A. Kimball. 

After completing his term at Concord he went to Rochester, 
N. Y., where he was married Oct. 7, 1858, to Miss Marion Eliza- 
beth, daughter of Hon. Rufus Keeler of Rochester, which city was 
his home during the remainder of his life. During the war his 
skill and knowledge were utilized in the navy department, as he 
served as master mechanic of the naval machine shop at Port 
Royal, S. C. 

On his return from the war he established the firm of W. S. 
Kimball & Co., tobacco manufacturers. His energy, enterprise, 
and marked executive ability soon made the establishment one of 
the most extensive in that line in the United States, while its pro- 
ductions became celebrated all over America and in foreign coun- 
tries also. Mr. Kimball soon acquired wealth and he built one of 
the finest homesteads in the whole state, which he embellished 
with fine paintings, rare books, and works of art. He also placed 
in his mansion a church organ of great power and brilliancy, hav- 
ing 2,350 pipes, made by the celebrated Roosevelt of New York. 



440 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



His extensive grounds and floral gardens were famed throughout 
the country. 

In financial circles he held an eminent position. He was an 
officer in numerous corporations including that of director in the 
Commercial National bank ; president of the city hospital ; presi- 
dent of the Post Express Printing compan}' ; president of the 




William S. Ki\ii;all. 

Industrial school; vice-president of the Security Trust compan)- ; 
vice-president of the American Tobacco company, and trustee in 
the Rochester Savings bank. 

In civil affairs he had no aspirations for preferment, and often 
declined being a candidate for political office. In religious belief 
he was a Presbyterian. Of commanding figure and fine personal 
presence, generous and public-spirited, he merited and received 
the respect and esteem of a very wide circle of friends. His first 



BENJAMIN A. KIMBALL. 44 1 

wife having died he married, second, Miss Laura Page, daughter 
of David Mitchell of Rochester. By his first wife he had one son, 
Harold Chandler, and by his second wife a daughter, Cecilia, and 
a son, Ernest. Mr. Kimball died at Virginia Beach, Va., March 
25, 1895. 

BENJAMIN AMES KIMBALL. 

[contributed by HON. CHARLES R. CORNING.] 

The second son of Benjamin and Ruth (Ames) Kimball, Ben- 
jamin Ames Kimball, was born in Boscawen, August 22, 1833. 
The house in which his parents were living at the time stood east 
of what in those days was known as the "Johnson tavern," but 
which since then for more than a generation has been familiarly 
known as " Bonney's." After Mr. Kimball, senior's, death, the 
following year, his widow and her little family moved to the Mill 
house situated on the highway leading from Concord to Boscawen, 
being the first house north of the bridge in Penacook on the left 
as one ascends the hill. A few years later Mrs. Kimball moved 
to the Deacon Cogswell house on Boscawen Plain opposite the 
Congregational meeting-house. Here the boy went to the " Gulf 
school," and at the same time received, along with his elementary 
learning, vivid impressions of the little world about him. A lively 
impression of the period was furnished by the famous Harrison 
and Tyler campaign of 1840, when down the dusty road rumbled 
a typical log cabin, one day, drawn by eight oxen. Concord was 
to be the scene of a grand Whig demonstration, whither wended 
thousands of earnest men from all parts of the state. The magnet 
of the great meeting, however, was the log cabin that rolled over 
Boscawen Plain on its way from Franklin to the capital. All the 
town turned out to see the sight, for, standing in the doorway of 
the cabin, was no less distinguished a personage than Daniel 
Webster. The boy of seven years remembered with great dis- 
tinctness the event of that day. As the people crowded around 
the float Mr. Webster cordially shook their hands, and made a 
brief speech. He also invited his friends to take a drink of hard 
cider, of which there was a plentiful stock in the barrels ranged 
alongside the cabin walls. Here, too, the bo}' first caught sight of 
his friend of later years, George W. Nesmith, who on that occa- 
sion was acting as keeper of the spigots. 



442 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Another youthful impression was that of the celebrated comet 
of 1842, whose streamers lighted the earth for a considerable 
period, and caused an intense excitement throughout the land. 
Subsequently, while a student at Dartmouth, Mr. Kimball spent 
many pleasurable hours in figuring out the course of the celestial 
visitor which he had beheld in his boyhood. 

In 1845, Jolii"i> his elder brother, having settled at Lowell, made 
a home for Mrs.. Kimball and her son. There the youth went to 
the public schools, and formed an attachment for his teachers 
which has never weakened. It was in the railroad yard at Lowell 
that the taste for locomotives and mechanics began manifesting 
itself, and many were the rides in the engine enjoyed at that time. 
It was before the days of protecting cabs, consequently the kindl}' 
engineer used to strap his youthful assistant to a seat in order to 
ensure his safety. 

In 1847 ^he family moved to Lawrence, where John Kimball 
became connected with the Essex company as mill builder, and 
where Benjamin A., after a brief turn at private tuition, soon found 
himself at work in the same corporation as a helper. Mr. Kim- 
ball looks back on that experience as the occasion that brought 
to him the first dollars he ever earned. 

At last the mother and her sons were to have a permanent 
home, for in 1849 the family came to Concord. Here Mr. Kim- 
ball began earnestly his education, attending the old High school, 
then kept by Master Mason, and at the same time allowing his 
innate taste for enginery to have full play. The circumstance 
that his brother John was master mechanic of the Concord rail- 
road had, perhaps, more or less to do with the young man's 
experience with locomotives. 

After a year in the High school it was determined that Ben- 
jamin should be fitted for the Chandler Scientific school, a depart- 
ment of Dartmouth college, then about to be opened at Hanover, 
therefore he went to Derry, where he entered a preparatory 
school kept by Professor Hildreth. In the fall of 1851 Mr. Kim- 
ball presented himself for admission to the Scientific school, and 
was duly examined by James W. Patterson, who was at that 
time a professor in the college. 

As the Chandler school had just been organized with Prof. John 



BENJAMIN A. KIMHALL. 443 

C. Woodman at its head, Mr. Kimball and his classmates had the 
honor of making the first graduating class to receive the new 
degrees of Bachelor of Science. He was graduated on the 27th 
of July, 1854, and three days later had entered the Concord rail- 
road service as a machinist and draughtsman. 

In this position Mr. Kimball brought into action both study 
and practice, designing the well-remembered engine " Tahanto." 
and so proving his abilities that in January, 1858, he succeeded 
his brother John as master mechanic, a fairly responsible ofifice 
for a man twenty-five years of age. Within a twelvemonth 
another promotion came, making him superintendent of the loco- 
motive department. In this position he remained until 1865, 
when he left the railroad to form a partnership with Theodore H. 
Ford in the foundry business. This firm continued for many 
years, or until the decease of Mr. Ford in 1892, when Mr. Kim- 
ball retired, but the old firm name still continues in the business 
connection formed by the sons of the original members, Jerome 
Ford and Henry A. Kimball. At the present time this business, 
largely developed and extended, is one of Concord's leading 
industries. Notwithstanding Mr. Kimball's retirement from the 
railroad, he never really severed his relations with the corpora- 
tion, for there always remained certain business connections 
springing out of old business associations. But circumstances 
were so as to force Mr. Kimball to the front, and make him a 
prominent figure in the railroad history of the state. If a man 
was ever well fitted and trained, both by experience and applica- 
tion, to grapple with the complex questions of modern railway 
management, such a man was Mr. Kimball. Although he had 
long been a stockholder in the Concord road, he had never given 
particular attention to the affairs of the corporation up to the 
time he succeeded to the vacancy in the board of directors caused 
by the death of ex-Gov. Onslow Stearns. This was in January, 
1879. From that day no man has worked harder or more per- 
sistently to promote and conserve the vital interests of the corpo- 
ration. For fifteen years the domain of the old Concord road was 
the constant battle ground of foreign and domestic rivalry, and 
during that period Mr. Kimball bore on his shoulders more, far 
•more, than his share of the burdens. Upon his strength and 



444 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

judgment has centred the pohcy of the great company with its 
varied and important interests, and it is well known that, had his 
advice been heeded, the Concord road would be to-day the 
parent railroad corporation of New Hampshire. To relate the 
records and the business diplomacy of the decade and a half 
would furnish a chapter of state history at once interesting and 
important. 

But the affairs pertaining to railroads, absorbing as they have 
proved to be, have not marked the limits of Mr. Kimball's busi- 
ness energies. In banking he has long been interested and to it 
he has devoted a large part of his time. From 1874 to 1877 he 
was president of the Concord Savings bank, an institution whose 
unfortunate history is well remembered in Merrimack county, and 
in the work of reestablishing its standing, Mr. Kimball came near 
sacrificing his health. As it was his physician ordered him to 
Europe for absolute rest, and he spent a year abroad with his wife 
and son, returning home with mind and body refreshed and re- 
stored. At the organizing of the Mechanicks National bank Mr. 
Kimball became a director and succeeded to the presidency on 
the death of Josiah Minot in 1891. 

However, it would be a long narrative to enumerate Mr. Kim- 
ball's trusteeships and directorships in New Hampshire railroads, 
banks, and industrial companies, but it may be justly said that in 
the number and extent of his trusts, he is exceeded by no citizen 
in the state. 

In the concerns of Concord, he takes deep interest and his ad- 
vice and aid are often sought. When the project of introducing 
water from Lake Penacook was first discussed, he manifested an 
interest that led to his appointment as one of the water commis- 
sioners, an office which he held several years, serving meanwhile 
as chairman of the board and continuing until the s}'stcm was an 
assured success. 

Naturally enough the characteristics that ha\-e brought success 
in a business point of view could hardU' remain dormant amid the 
grave public questions of the time, therefore Mr. Kimball has long 
been a prominent figure in politics. From his youth he has never 
swerved in his support of the party that declared for freedom and 
national integrity; he has remained a staunch adherent to the poli-' 




/aJ-juti^Jtuiy 



446 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

cies of the Republican party, yet his party rewards have been sin- 
gularly modest. One term in the legislature, 1870, twice a mem- 
ber of constitutional conventions, 1876 and 1889, and one term as 
state councilor (i 887-1 889), comprise his political preferments. 

This last named ofifice, held during the administration of Gov- 
ernor Currier, brought duties of an agreeable nature, appealing to 
his tastes and business habits. His term was marked by more 
than the ortiinary councilor routine inasmuch as the time proved 
to be of unusual ci\'ic importance. As chairman having in charge 
the installation of the Webster statue and the ceremonies at its 
dedication he found free scope for the exercise of his social quali- 
ties and executive abilities, for the occasion, it will be remembered, 
was one of national reputation. Governor Currier again recog- 
nized Mr. Kimball's fitness for such duties by appointing him del- 
egate to represent New Hampshire at the centennial commemo- 
ration of the constitutional convention of 1787 held at Philadel- 
phia. 

In 1880 Mr. Kimball attended the famous Chicago Republican 
National convention as alternate of William E. Chandler, and in 
1892 he went to Minneapolis as a delegate at large. 

Perhaps the most conspicuous and the most enduring public 
service rendered by Mr. Kimball has been his work on the state 
library building. Although but one of a commission composed 
of men peculiarly gifted and qualified, his thorough, lifelong ex- 
perience in practical building together with a keen sense of archi- 
tectural beauty and propriety attracted to him more than his 
share of the undertaking, a burden, however, cheerfully accepted 
and borne. Aside from this work, Mr. Kimball has certainly 
accomplished other appreciated works in the construction of the 
beautiful railway station, and in the planning and establishing of 
the splendid system of company shops at the south end. 

There is still another work somewhat of a semi-public nature in 
which Mr. Kimball has given and is continuing to give a full 
measure of devotion for to him it is essentially a work of love and 
pride. Under the terms of Abicl Chandler's will, the manage- 
ment of the scientific school founded by him at Hanover was con- 
ferred on two visitors and it was further arranged that in case of 
a vacancy occurring the remaining visitor had the power to nomi- 



BENJAMIN A. KIMBALL. 447 

nate his associate. In accordance ^vith this provision the vacancy 
in the board caused by the resignation of Charles F. Choate of Bos- 
ton was immediately filled by Jeremiah Smith, the remaining vis- 
itor by the nomination of Mr. Kimball. This took place in 1893. 
Within a twelvemonth, however, a vacancy occurred in the mem- 
bership of the college trustees by the decease of ex-Gov. Benjamin 
F. Prescott, whereupon the board at once elected Mr. Kimball to 
succeed him. It so happened that this trusteeship was almost 
coincident with the accession of the Rev. William J. Tucker to the 
presidency of Dartmouth. It all took place just at the time when 
the affairs of the college assumed a new energy and direction, and 
it is not overstating the truth to say that the conjunction of Dr. 
Tucker and Mr. Kimball at the time and in the existing circum- 
stances was of inestimable value to Dartmouth. In a word it 
was the beginning of the new Dartmouth. Dr. Tucker's 
clear vision revealed the great necessities of the college, while his 
strong mind began to form liberal and comprehensive plans for its 
improvement and growth. 

It was a labor of vast undertakings, inasmuch as the proposed 
plans involved not only the augmentation and expansion of the 
curriculum but the erection, practicalK', of the physical or mate- 
rial forces incident to the college changes. Assigned to the com- 
mittees on finance and buildings and improvements, Mr. Kimball 
entered at once on his appointed task. From that moment Dr. 
Tucker has had a stout and helpful supporter in Mr. Kimball, one 
that has stood ready at all times to do his utmost in the splendid 
work of college transformation. How vast and comprehensive the 
material changes have been can only be realized by one who 
knew Dartmouth as it was prior to Dr. Tucker's coming to Han- 
over. To that person the changes and improvements, the archi- 
tectural progress described in the rows of stately buildings and in 
building' promises yet to be carried out, suggests resources little 
suspected a decade ago. The great work of progressive con- 
struction is proceeding s)'stematically, not to pause until the 
campus of ancient Dartmouth is flanked with college structures 
beautiful and inviting and in all respects befitting the new college. 

There is one part of new Dartmouth particularly associated 
with Mr. Kimball's name, and that is the modern and comprehen- 



448 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

sive central plant for heating the widel)' separated buildings 
belonging to the college. Over the problems involved in the 
undertaking Mr. Kimball brought to bear the experiences of a life- 
time, measuring successive steps with the greatest care, and work- 
ing out in the end one of the completest and most successful 
systems of the central heating plant an}'where to be found. 

In another matter Mr. Kimball has worked with Dr. Tucker to 
bring about a result of transcendent importance to the college, a 
result having to do with the relations subsisting between the col- 
lege itself and the Chandler Scientific school. When that school 
was organized it was recognized as a separate and independent 
department of the college having its own foundation and its own 
officials. In course of time, however, an increasing inconsistency 
of purpose was manifested in the school which finally led to an 
exhaustive study of the conditions by the two visitors, Mr, Kimball 
and Judge John Hopkins, who set forth their views in a report 
which became the basis upon which a reorganization was soon 
effected. This departure from the old methods has been produc- 
tive of great good to the Chandler department and to the college 
as well, for by it a double plant has been averted and a duplica- 
tion of studies has been avoided. What, in da}'s gone by, was 
distinctly known as the Chandler school has now become a regu- 
lar college department with scientific courses parallel with the 
other courses, and with all the students classified together under 
one faculty. In a word, the Chandler school has become merged 
in Dartmouth college. In his active participation in the creation 
of modern Dartmouth Mr. Kimball has achieved a reputation for 
usefulness and thoroughness of endeavor which will always keep 
his name prominent among the names of those \\ho have given 
their best to the service of their alma mater. 

Mr. Kimball has reached that stage in life when a certain 
amount of leisure is desirable, llis Concord residence, one of the 
most beautiful and well arranged in the state, contains many 
works of art, comprising particularly choice paintings collected 
during journeys to Europe. For many summers Mr. Kimball 
and his family lived at his cottage at Straw's Point, but in the late 
eighties he happened to go on Locke's Hill, so called, in Gilford, 
a bold and impressive promontory rising over Winnepesaukee, 



REV. JOHN E. BARRY. 449 

and was straightway fascinated and attracted by the superb loca- 
tion. The consequence was that he bought the promontory and 
erected thereon a substantial summer residence. There he finds 
relief from the worries of the day in the magnificent landscape of 
scenery unsurpassed, of lake, and distant mountain peaks. 

In the affairs of the New Hampshire Historical society his inter- 
est is marked, and from 1894 to 1897 ^^^ filled the chair as president. 

Mr. Kimball and his family are attendants at the South Con- 
gregational church. In the affairs of this society Mr. Kimball 
bears a prominent part, and he has been one of the generous 
contributors. 

On the 19th of January, 186 1, Mr. Kimball and Miss Myra 
Tilton Elliott, daughter of Ira and Rhoda Ames Elliott of San- 
bornton Bridge, were married at the home of Miss Elliott's step- 
father, Labon Morrill, in Canterbury. 

Henry Ames Kimball, their only child, was born at Concord 
on the 19th of October, 1864. He received his education in 
private schools and from the instruction of tutors, studying subse- 
quently in Europe and completing his course at London, Eng- 
land, where the degree of " Fellow of the Society of Literature, 
Science, and Art" was conferred upon him. 

FATHER BARRY. 

The Very Reverend John E. Barry, vicar-general of the Roman 
Catholic diocese of New Hampshire, was born and educated in 
Maine, and came to Concord in October, 1865, shortl)^ after his 
ordination as a priest. His mission at Concord included Pena- 
cook, and he continued in charge of the Penacook congregation 
until 1880. At the date of beginning his labors in the village, he 
found the Catholic congregation worshiping in the Pantheon hall, 
and in less than two years they had by his advice purchased a 
church building and fitted it up for their services. 

Under Father Barry's fostering care the Catholic church had a 
wonderful growth in numbers and in faith. He established a Sun- 
day-school which was attended by every Catholic child in the 
village, a record probably unequaled by any other denomination 
in the village. This school maintained a well-selected library of 
wholesome reading, and was used freely by the members. 
30 



450 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Perhaps his most notable work in connection with this congre- 
gation was his estabHshment of the Catholic Total Abstinence 
society, in January, 1872, to which nearly every person in his 
congregation belonged for several years while Father Barry was in 
charge. This was truly a great benefit to the village, and the 
effect of that movement is still apparent. 




Very Ricv. John E. Barry. 



For thirty-five years Father Barry was a large factor in the 
religious life of the city of Concord. His own church he wonder- 
fully upbuilt and strengthened, and of Catholicism in New Hamp- 
shire he was a main pillar. Yet he never antagonized men of 
other creeds, and never engaged in religious controversy with other 
denominations. Father Barry's character was so pure and noble 
that he was respected and loved by the whole communit}'. To 



CEPHAS H. FOWLER. 45 I 

meet Father Barry was a pleasure and inspiration, and his greet- 
ing was a benediction. His tragic death on November 14, 1900, 
at New York city, was a terrible shock to the people of Concord, 
and the sorrow and grief were shared by every one. In every pulpit 
in the city his death was referred to on the following Sunday, and 
fitting eulogies pronounced in many of the churches. The 
universal feeling of loss expressed by citizens of all ages and con- 
<litions could not have been inspired by any but a truly good, 
kind, and wise man. 

" His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that 

Nature might stand up and say to all the world, ' This was a man ' " 

CEPHAS H. FOWLER. 

Cephas Hallock Fowler, son of Staunton Prentiss and Jane Ann 
(Hallock) Fowler, was born August 26, 1842, at Webster, N. H. 
He attended the town schools at Webster, and later on completed 
his schooling at the Elmwood Institute at Boscawen. 

On attaining his majority he came to Penacook and was first 
employed in the grocery store of Horace Abbott, remaining there 
until the death of Mr. Abbott in 1865. He next formed a part- 
nership with Hale Chadwick and carried on the dry goods busi- 
ness for one year. In 1866 Mr. Fowler went into partnership 
\vith the late J. S. Rollins, in the drug store at the corner of Main 
and East Canal streets, continuing with him until 1875, when he 
purchased Mr. RoUins's interest in the business, and conducted 
the business alone until 1895, when he sold out to W. C. Spicer, 
making a term of nearly thirty years' work in the same store. 
Mr. Fowler then moved to Bristol, N. H., where in company with 
Mr. Weymouth he engaged in business in a country store. He 
remained at Bristol about three years, and then returned to Pena- 
cook and purchased the drug store in Exchange block, where he 
is still in business. 

On .January i, 1867, Mr. Fowler was married to Clara H., 
daughter of the late J. S. Rollins, and by her has two sons, 
Clarence R., born April i, 1883, and Wyman H., born February 
3, 1885, both being now students at the Concord high school. 

Mr. Fowler has a fine residence on the corner of Merrimac 
and Cross streets, which was built by his father-in-law, J. S. 



452 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Rollins. In 1890 Mr. Fowler built a substantial cottage at Union 
Bluff, York Beach, Me., which is occupied by his family during 
the summer months. 

The family are Congregationalists, and Mr. Fowler is a Repub- 




Cephas H. Fowlkr. 



lican in politics. He has served his ward as a member of the 
city council. He has been a member of Horace Chase lodge of 
Free Masons for many years. 

SERGT. SAMUEL N. BROWN. 

Samuel Newton l^rown, son of John Sullivan and Sophia C. 
(Drown) Brown, was born at Penacook, in the house now owned 
by Mrs. Polly R. Mann, on July 17, 1844. He attended the vil- 
lage schools until he was fifteen years old, and then entered the 
New London Literary and Scientific institution, from which he grad- 
uated in 1862. Instead of taking a contemplated college course,, 
he enlisted October 10, 1862, at the age of eighteen, in Co. D, 



SAMUEL N. BROWN. 



453 



Sixteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, and served with 
that regiment in the terrible Port Hudson campaign, returning 
to Concord with the regiment and being mustered out August 20, 
1863. After remaining at home one year he reenlistcd Septem- 
ber 9, 1864, in Co. B, Eighteenth Regiment, New Hampshire 
Volunteers, that being the regiment in which his older brother 
William was serving as major. On November i, 1864, he was 
appointed quartermaster-sergeant, in which position he served 
until the regiment was mustered out, June 10, 1865, at the close 
of the war. 




Sa.ml'i:l N. Brown. 

After the war Mr. Brown was engaged for several years with his 
father in the management of the Penacook mill, where he ob- 
tained a practical knowledge of the manufacture of cotton cloth. 

Some years later, about 1885, Mr. Brown was engaged to take 
charge of a cotton mill at Memphis, Tenn. On the retirement of 
his father in 1889, Mr. Brown was appointed agent of the Pena- 
cook mill, which he managed for two j'cars. 



454 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Previous to 1889 Mr. Brown spent a year or two in traveling for 
a Boston firm, selling machinery. In 1892 Mr. Brown was elected 
register of deeds for Merrimack county aud has held the office 
continuously to the present date. He has also served as modera- 
tor at the ward meetings for the past eight years. 

Mr. Brown is a prominent member of Horace Chase lodge, and 
occupied the master's chair in 1871 and 1872. 

In politics he has af^liated with the Republicans since attaining 
his majority. He was one of the original members of the Union 
club, in which he has served as secretary. 

Mr. Brown was one of the original members of \V. I. Brown 
Post, No. 31, G. A. R., having been mustered in on May 12, 1875. 
He was the first adjutant of the post and has served as such officer 
many years and is still at that place. He has been commander of 
that post; a member of the council of administration; assistant 
adjutant-general, department of New Hampshire; delegate from 
New Hampshire to the national encampment; and in 1895 ^^as a 
member of the national council of administration, and one of its 
executive committee. 

On December 3, 1867, Mr. Brown was married to Lucy P. Kil- 
burn, and by her has one daughter, Alice Frances, who resides 
with her parents at the homestead on Elm street. 

REUBEN JOHNSON. 

[COXTRinUTED BY MISS I.UCV K. GAGE.] 

Reuben Johnson, son of Jonathan and Rhoda (Abbott) John- 
son, was born in Concord, N. H., January 12, 1789, and was one 
of a family of twelve children. In 181 i he married Judith Hall, 
daughter of Capt. John Chandler, and lived at West Concord for 
a time, where he carried on the wool-carding and cloth-dressing 
business. In 1818 he moved to Pcnacook and succeeded his 
father-in-law. Captain Chandler, as landlord of the hotel which is 
now known as the Penacook House, owned and managed at the 
present time by Hannibal Bonney. 

In 1843 Mrs. Johnson died, and his health failing soon after- 
w-ards, he left the hotel and moved into what is now the second 
house south of the hotel, living there for a time, and finally moving 
into the holisc now occupied by his daughter, Mrs. Isaac K. Gage. 



REUBEN JOHNSON, 



455 



There he died March i6, 1852, aged about 63 years and 2 months, 
and was buried in River View cemetery at Boscawen Plain beside 
his wife. Mr. Johnson was fond of music and purchased the first 
piano brought into the village; his youngest daughter, Mary, was 
an excellent player on that instrument, and the same piano is still 
at the Gage homestead. In 1836 Mr. Johnson built the store 




Reuuen Johnson. 



which stands nearly opposite the Penacook House, and is now oc- 
cupied by Sanborn Brothers. For a time his son, Luther G. 
Johnson, and his son-in-law, Isaac K. Gage, carried on business 
there under the firm name of Johnson & Gage ; and it was at this 
store where the Fisherville post-ofifice was first located, Mr. Luther 
G. Johnson being the first postmaster. The land on which the 



456 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Congregational church now stands was given by Reuben Johnson 
to the Christian denomination, and the church was built and occu- 
pied by that denomination for several years. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were born eleven children, four of 
whom died in infancy, the others being Lucy J., who married Wil- 
liam Moody Kimball, and died in Minnesota, April 19, 1899; 
Luther G., who married Cornelia E. Morrill of Canterbury, died 
August 12, 1897; Clarissa, who married John C. Smith of Sal- 
isbury, died October i, 1893; Susan G., who married Isaac 
K. Gage; John C, who married Anna C. Tilton of Sanbornton, 
died in January, 1899; Charlotte, who married S. D. Hubbard, 
died February 9, 1852; and Mary N., who married William B. 
Cogswell, died July 28, 1877. 

COL. WILLIAM p. CHANDLER. 

William Palmer Chandler, son of Nathan and Jane (Rolfe) 
Chandler, and grandson of John Chandler, the first landlord of 
the old tavern, was born in the house next east of the old tavern, 
on October 27, 1820. His early schooling was at the town 
schools, and later he attended the academies at Salisbury, New 
London, and Pembroke, fitting himself for the profession of ci\-il 
engineer. While a young man he moved to Illinois, settling in 
Danville, where he began his work as civil engineer. While there 
he was the first to begin the development of the coal mines, which 
have later become very extensive. In July, 1861, he entered the 
service of the United States as lieutenant-colonel of the Thirt\-- 
fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantr}', and in March, 1862, 
took command of the regiment, continuing in that position until 
the regiment was mustered out of service in September, 1864. 
He took part in the battles of Pea Ridge, Corinth, Perryville, 
Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and was with Gen- 
eral Sherman in the notable march " from Atlanta to the sea." 
Colonel Chandler was a notable ofificcr whose services were known 
and appreciated by the men of his command, which is shown b}' 
the fact that he received a valuable sword bearing this inscription : 
"Presented to Lieut. -Col. W. P. Chandler by the enlisted men of 
the 35th Rcgt., Ills. Infantry, April, 1863. Pea Ridge, siege of 
Corinth, Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary 



COL. WILLIAM P. CHANDLER. 



457 



Ridge, Rockyface, Resacca, Dallas, Kenesaw, Chattahoochee 
River, and Atlanta." In the following year he received a second 
sword inscribed as follows: "Presented to Lieut. -Col. Wm. P. 
Chandler by the Soldiers' Friend Society of Danville, Ills., 
August, 1864, in acknowledgment of distinguished services." 
This last sword is now in possession of Colonel Chandler's nephew 




CoL. Wn.LiA.M 1'. Chandler. 



and namesake, William P. Chandler of Penacook. Colonel Chan- 
dler was taken prisoner twice during the war. During President 
Grant's administration Colonel Chandler was appointed surveyor- 
general of Idaho territory, and resided in Boise City while holding 
that ofifice. His last years were spent at Danville, 111., where he 
died June 13, 1898. 

Before croin"- West Mr. Chandler married Sarah E. Kimball of 



458 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Orange, N. H. He was a member of the West Concord Congre- 
gational church, and after removal to the West he served as elder 
of the Presbyterian church at Danville, 111. Colonel Chandler 
was a man of good abilities, of unblemished character, and a 
worthy and patriotic successor of a long line of military ancestors, 
who for five generations before him were officers in the militia or 
in the regular army. 

THE BROWN FA^^LY. 

According to tradition, the Browns of Penacook are descendants 
of Peter Brown, who came from England in the I\IayJio^vcr, land- 





DeA. DW'Wi JJROWN. 



Dea. Henry H. Brown. 



ing at Plymouth, Mass., December 22, 1620. The oldest of the 
famih' that came to Penacook was Dea. David Brown, son of John, 
born in 1745, and grandson of William, born about 1700; both 
of these ancestors resided at Seekonk, Mass. William had eleven 
children, and John had thirteen. 

Dea. David Brown, born in 1779, married Eunice Hill Hayes, 
and had a family of ten children. He came to Penacook in 1845, 
and occupied the house now owned by John H. Moore; being a 
mason by trade, he did some work on the walls of the Penacook 
mill, which was built in 1846, though he was then sixty-two years 
old. He died July 18, 1847. 



THE BROWN FAMILY. 



459 



The second generation in Penacook is represented by Dea. 
Henry H. Brown, oldest son of Dea. David, born June 17, 1805, 
and died in September, 1873. See biographical notes for further 
information. 




D. Arthur Brown. 



Henry A. Brown. 




Robert A. Brown. 



The third generation is represented by D. Arthur Brown, second 
son of Dea. Henry H., born May 14, 1839, now treasurer of the 
Concord Axle Co. 



460 



HISTORY OF TENACOOK 



The fourth generation is represented by Henry Arthur Brown, 
born February 7, 1868, only son of D. Arthur, now employed as 
assistant superintendent of the Concord Axle Co. 

And the fifth generation is represented by Robert Arthur 
Brown, born August 9, 1895, only son of Henry Arthur Brown. 

ABIAL R. CHANDLER. 

Abial Rolfe Chandler, oldest son of Nathan and Jane (Rolfe) 
Chandler, was born at Penacook, on the Boscawen side of the 



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/U;iAL R. Chandler. 

river, Aug. 25, 1805, and received his education in the town 
schools and at Boscawen academy. He was a farmer by occupa- 
tion, and early developed a talent for public business and affairs: 
school matters received much of his care, and in 1848 he was 
chairman of the committee that built the new brick schoolhouse. 



D. ARTHUR 15ROWN. 46 1 

In town affairs he was a leading citizen, serving on the board of 
selectmen in the years 1840, 1841, 1842, 1848, 1849. He 
was also chosen as representative to the New Hampshire 
legislature in the years 1843, 1844, and 1849. He married 
Eliza J. Morrison of Boscawen. In 1852 he gave up his 
interests in Penacook and moved to Lawrence, Mass., where he 
entered the employ of the Essex company, taking charge of their 
locks and canals. After being away nearl}' fifteen years Mr. 
Chandler had not ceased to feel an interest in his native place, and 
when the Fishervillc Library Association was formed he sent a 
contribution of one hundred dollars for the purchase of books. 

D. ARTHUR BROWN. 

David Arthur Brown, second son of Henry H. and Mary Ann 
(Daggett) Brown, was born at Attleboro, Mass., May 14, 1839. 
On the paternal side he is a descendant, in the eighth or ninth 
generation, from Peter Brown, who came from England in the 
Jlfayfiozver, and landed at Plymouth, December 22, 1620. On the 
maternal side he is a descendant, in the ninth generation, from 
John Doggett or Daggett, who came from England with Governor 
Winthrop in 1630. The history of the family in England and 
Ireland goes back to John Doget, a taverner, born in London in 
1240. The family came to Penacook in 1843 where Mr. Brown 
has resided to the present date. He first attended school on 
Queen street on the Boscawen side, and later at the schoolhouse 
on Rolfe street, and in the white schoolhouse, where the present 
brick schoolhouse stands. In 1854 he entered the New London 
Literary and Scientific institution, remaining there about two 
years. He next went to Concord as an apprentice in the piano 
factory of Liscom, Dearborn & Co., but as the opportunity for 
learning the trade was not encouraging he remained but one year, 
then returned home and after one \'ear more at New London was 
employed in the repair department of the Penacook mill until 
1 86 1. He enlisted on August 9, 1861, for three years, in the Third 
Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, and was mustered into the 
United States service on the 26th of the same month, as a first- 
class musician, and in November, 1861, was commissioned by the 
governor of New Hampshire as second band leader. He went 



462 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

with the Third regiment, first to the rendezvous of the Sherman 
expedition on Long Island, N. Y., from which place the regiment 
was ordered in haste, September 14, to the defense of Washing- 
ton, where they went into camp east of the capitol, near the Con- 
gressional cemetery. While there he twice saw President Lincoln, 
and also saw General Winfield Scott, who was about retiring from 
command of the army. President Lincoln visited the regiment at 
dress parade September 19. The next movement of the regiment 
was to Annapolis, Md., on October 4, where they remained until 
October 21, then embarked on the steamer Atlantic and sailed to 
Hampton Roads, the rendezvous of the vessels of the Sherman 
expedition. Leaving Hampton October 29, the expedition, con- 
sisting of over one hundred vessels, sailed for Port Royal, S. C, 
arriving at the entrance of the harbor November 4 and landing 
on the island of Hilton Head, November 9, going into camp in a 
large cotton field. The regiment remained on Hilton Head with- 
out any engagement witht he enemy until April 4, 1862, but on 
March 7 a part of the regiment under command of Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Jackson made a reconnoissance up the Savannah river to Elba 
island and to Blufton-on-the-Main, on which occasion Mr. Brown 
volunteered to carry a musket in the ranks, and was absent from 
camp five days. From Hilton Head the regiment moved to Edisto 
island, thence across Johns island to James island, where on June 
16, the regiment had their first serious engagement at the battle 
of Secessionville. The regiment went into the fight with 26 
ofificers and 597 men, of whom 104 were killed and wounded. 
Mr. Brown with other band men was on the battle-field removing 
the wounded men on stretchers, and afterward sci^ving in the hos- 
pital taking care of the wounded men, which was the most trying 
experience of his whole army life. The regiment returned to 
Hilton Head island in July, and the band was discharged by 
order of the war department, being mustered out of service 
August 31, 1862. Shortly after his return from the army Mr. 
Brown fitted up a repair shop at the Contoocook mill, and took 
charge of the repairs for that corporation. In the spring of 1864 
he went into business in the firm of A. B. Winn & Co., taking the 
L. & A. H. Drown machine shop, and doing a general machine 
jobbing business, also manufacturing a few wagon axles. One 



D. ARTHUR BROWN. 463 

year later, after the death of A. B. Winn, the st)-le of the firm was 
changed to D. Arthur Brown & Co., and Mr. Brown, as manager, 
devoted his attention Lirgely to building up a business in the 
manufacture of Concord wagon axles. By manufacturing supe- 
rior goods, and by judicious advertising, Mr. Brown soon began to 
build up the business; and from supplying the local market soon 
extended the sales to the cities of New England, and with addi- 
tions to the buildings, machinery, and men employed, was enabled 
to open up a trade with the larger cities of the middle West — 
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cleveland, and elsewhere. 

Mr. Brown also gave early attention to the trade of the Pacific 
coast, in which locality he has maintained an increasing trade to 
the present time. In 1880 a corporation was formed called the 
Concord Axle Co., of which Mr. Brown has been treasurer and 
general manager from that date. The process of manufacture of 
wagon and carriage axles has been completely changed two or 
three times under Mr. Brown's direction, so that the goods might 
be produced more rapidly and at less cost. This business has 
been maintained in spite of sharp competition of the factories in 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and elsewhere; and though Mr. Brown was 
the first to advertise and sell Concord axles, now all the factories 
in the country manufacture Concord axles, at competing prices. 
As early as 1870 Mr. Brown designed a trademark to designate 
all axles manufactured at these works, which has been so well 
known throughout the country that three other large factories 
have pirated the trademark of the genuine Concord axles. The 
Concord Axle Works of to-day are complete in all departments, 
with the best machinery and most approved processes of manu- 
facture, having a production of eight hundred tons of axles per 
year, which are marketed nearly all over the world. This company 
has a branch ofTice in San Francisco, a special selling agent in 
Australia, and is sending axles to England, South America, 
Cuba, South Africa, and elsewhere. The Concord Axle Co. gives 
employment to about eighty hands, and distributes some $45,000 
per year in wages, so that it has grown to be quite an important 
factor in the life of the village, and as this has been brought about 
largely by the efforts of Mr. Brown, he may, perhaps, feel that 
his life-work has been helpful to the community. In early life 



464 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Mr. Brown joined the Baptist church, and has continued his mem- 
bership to the present date; he began singing in the choir while 
a boy, and was a member for some twenty years. He was one of 
the original members of the Sunday-school, and is still a regular 
attendant, having been a teacher of a class of men for many years. 
He served a long term as clerk of the society, and is now a trustee 
of the church and chairman of the music committee. Mr. Brown 
was a charter member and first junior vice commander of W. I. 
Brown Post, No. 31, G. A. R., and has been a working member 
of that organization, serving in various positions, and for the last 
few years as quartermaster. He has been a representative to the 
department encampment for many years; an aide oi) the staff of 
the national commander-in-chief during three administrations ; also 
twice appointed a member of the national council of administration. 

Mr. Brown was one of the organizers of the Third Regiment 
Veteran association ; raised the funds for building their house at 
The Weirs, N. H., and superintended its construction, and served 
as secretary and treasurer of the organization since 1885. From 
1858 to 1878 Mr. Brown was much interested in band music; 
chosen leader of the Fisherville Cornet band in 1858, he con- 
tinued with that organization until he entered the army in 1861 ; 
served in the Third Regiment band as second leader; and after 
his return from the army assisted in organizing Brown's band, of 
which he was leader and manager until the dissolution in 1878. 
This band, which was for several years the finest military band 
in the state, accompanied the Amoskeag Veterans to the Centen- 
nial fair at Philadelphia in 1876, also went to the Bennington (Vt.) 
centennial with the governor and legislature, and furnished music 
for many notable events. 

Mr. Brown is a member of the New Hampshire club of Boston ; 
of the New England Iron and Hardware association of Boston ; 
the National Carriage Builders' association ; also of several local 
interests. 

Mr. Brown was made a Mason in 1861, taking the degrees in 
Horace Chase lodge at Penacook, and later on became a member 
of Trinity chapter and Mt. Horeb commandery of Knights Tem- 
plar ; in the latter body he has held the position of bugler for 
many years. 



NATHAN CHANDLER. 



465 




Residence of D. Arthur Brown. 

On December 23, 1864, Mr. Brown was married to Susan Mal- 
vina Follansbee, by whom he has one son, Henry Arthur Brown, 
born February 8, 1868, now employed as assistant superintendent 
at the Concord Axle Works, and residing with his parents at the 
homestead on Elm street. 

In December, 1889, the friends of Mr. and Mrs. Brown took 
possession of the house, and celebrated the silver wedding anni- 
versary in a very pleasant manner. 

NATHAN CHANDLER. 



Nathan Chandler, who resided for the larger part of his life in 
the house now occupied by E. L. Davis, was the second son of 
Nathan and Jane (Rolfe) Chandler, and was born on the Bos- 
cawen side of Penacook, June 12, 1812. He was a descendant, in 
the ninth generation, from William and Annis Chandler who came 
from England and settled at Roxbury, Mass., in 1637. ^^ was 
31 



466 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



educated in the town schools of Boscawen and Concord, also at 
the Boscawen academ)\ 

His occupation was farming during his whole life, and though 
not considered a very rich man, he was a successful farmer and 
brought up a family of children in good circumstances. He was 
married Dec. 8, 1840, to Louisa Webster Ferrin, and by her had 




Nath.an Chandler. 



four children — Edward Webster, born Dec. 11, 1841, who resides 
atMinonk, 111.; Sarah B., born June 15, 1843, married James L. 
Gerrish of Webster; Frederick G., born Dec. 31, 1845, married 
Mary S. Abbott (^f West Concord, and resides on the homestead 
farm, and William P., born Nov. 30, 1849, married Alice Boycc 
of Penacook, and resides at No. 20 Winter street, Pcnacook. 
Mr. Chandler was a lifelong member of the Congregational 



I 



HENRY F. BALCH. 467 

church, honored and respected by the whole community tor his 
consistent Christian hfe and good citizenship. When Concord 
was first divided into city wards Mr. Chandler was chosen asses- 
sor for Ward One, in recognition of his sound judgment and 
unquestioned integrity. Mr. Chandler also represented the ward 
in the New Hampshire legislature for the years 1852, 1874, and 
1875. His death occurred on June 21, 1884. 

HENRY F. BALCH. 

One of the village boys who early took Horace Greeley's 
advice, " Go West, young man, go West," and has attained emi- 
nence in his profession was Henry Francis Balch, son of Daniel 
Shaw and Dorothy M. (Whittier) Balch. He was born at Brad- 
ford, Vt., on June 17, 1838. His father brought the family to 
Penacook in 1849, he being engaged as contractor in building 
the Northern Railroad. He built a fine residence on North Main 
street. Henry F. was the second son in a family of six children 
— two daughters and four sons. He attended the town schools 
on the Boscawen side, and, later on, the high school of his uncle, 
Daniel B. Whittier. In his youth he was noted for his love of 
fine horses and his skilful management of them, notwithstanding 
the fact that he was nearly killed by a horse in his father's stable 
when only about twelve years old. 

In 1855 the family moved West, to St. Anthony Falls, now 
Minneapolis, where they have since resided. Desiring further 
schooling than was obtainable at his new home, Mr. Balch re- 
turned East in 1857, and spent a couple of years at the New Lon- 
don Literary and Scientific institution, and while there first met 
the young lady who later became his wife, Miss Evelyn Kendrick 
of Claremont, N. H., to whom he was married June 13, 1861, at 
Claremont, and soon took his bride to his W^estern home. 

They have three daughters — Alice, who married J. H. Hamil- 
ton, and has two daughters and two sons; Mary Evelyn, who 
married James Kenney, and has two sons ; and Agnes Louise, 
who married Aurie L. Evans, but has no children. 

Mr. Balch's homestead is pleasantly situated on Second avenue 
south, and his children are near by. 

On settling at Minneapolis, Mr. Balch was first connected with 



468 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



the lumber trade, then the leading business of that section. Begin- 
ning as bookkeeper, he soon rose to the position of manager, and 
shortly afterwards became a partner in the business, in which he 
continued until 1870. Since that date Mr. Balch has followed 
the business of general railroad contractor, and has built hundreds 
of miles of railroad in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, 




Henky F. Balcii. 



Missouri, Dakota, and Washington. Also in Canada Mr. Balch 
built a railroad from Ottawa across the St. Lawrence river to 
Maori, N. Y. He has also built wharves at various harbors on 
the Great Lakes. In all these great enterprises Mr. Balch has been 
abundantly successful, and has accumulated an ample fortune. 
In his later years Mr. Balch has taken much interest in steam 



DAVID D. SMITH, D. D. S., M. D. 469 

yachts, and had one built to suit his own taste, which proved to 
be the finest boat (with one exception) on the Great Lakes. 

Mr. Balch has not sought poHtical preferment, and has not 
joined the Masonic or other secret societies. 

His rehgious affihations are with the Baptist denomination, his 
wife and two daughters being members of the First Baptist 
church. 

Mr. Balch is a member of the Minneapolis club, also of the 
Chicago Athletic club, and has a very extensive acquaintance in 
business circles throughout the Northwest, where he is universally 
esteemed for his unblemished character, as well as for his strict 
business integrity. 

DAVID DELOS SMITH, D. D. S., M. D. 

Although born in central New York, Dr. Smith is essentially a 
New Englander. His grandparents on both sides. Smith — Lake, 
each with families, emigrated from Connecticut about 18 16 to the 
foot-hills of the Catskills, in Green county, N. Y., where P. M. 
Smith and Grace Lake married in 1824. To them were born 
eight children, six boys and two girls, the seventh child being the 
subject of this sketch. In 1848, when in his ninth year, his par- 
ents returned to New England and settled in Fishervillc, now Pen- 
acook, N. H. At that time the manufacturing interests of the 
place were largely controlled by Messrs. H. H. and J. S. Brown, 
and the little village under their practical business management 
and Christian influence was prosperous and the inhabitants gen- 
erally contented. The principals were marked examples of integ- 
rit}-, industry, and morality; frowning upon evil and encouraging 
the good. 

That unseeml}^ monstrosity, the liquor traffic, then as now the 
curse and blight of home and its inmates, — the wife, the mother, 
the children, — was discouraged and perhaps under as much re- 
straint as in other places in the state of like character. 

When about nine and a half years of age, at his own solicitation, 
David was put at work in one of the mills, where he remained, 
with short and irregular intervals in the public schools, until past 
fourteen }'ears of age. Although this important and formative 
period of boyhood life was passed amidst adverse influences, a 



470 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

native industry and the guiding hand of a true, earnest Christian 
mother; the good example of such men as Rev. Edmund Worth 
— one of earth's noblemen, — Henry H. Brown, John S. Brown, 
William H. Allen, and a few others, kept him from many tempta- 
tions and pointed to the possibilities of a higher life and better 
things. It was Juvenal who said, " The man's character is made 
at seven ; what he then is, he will alwaj's be." This seems hardly 
applicable to the present case, for a sudden awakening, as to a 
new life, came when he had passed his fourteenth year; an awak- 
ening which seemed markedly to influence, if not wholly to shape, 
his after career. Struggles with the old life and its trend of pov- 
erty were by no means ended at that time, but there came desires 
for better things ; longings for an education ; visions of possibili- 
ties ; and best of all, there came an inspiration to effort. Then 
followed the breaking away from the dominion of the mill and its 
associations. In the autumn of 1854, Stephen Bean of Warner, 
N. H. — a most exemplary man and an excellent teacher — opened 
a school at what was then known as Smith's Corner, Salisbury, to 
which young Smith, backward and deficient in all studies, with 
many misgivings and fears, gained admission. 

There, through obedience and application, he sought to reclaim 
something of the past. Gaining the good will of the teacher and 
the respect of classmates he began, in mathematics and declama- 
tion, — special features of the school, to take rank with others of 
his age. That term of school set the seal on the old life and 
opened the way to a new one. Although he returned to the mill 
in the winter it was but to meet necessities; plans were soon laid 
for attending a spring term under the same teacher, at Newbury, 
N. H. 

At the close of this second term a clerkship in a general country 
store offered and was accepted, but it required only two or three 
months to demonstrate his entire want of adaptation for mercan- 
tile life ; and this he never again attempted. In the autumn of that 
year he made his way to Ulster county, N. Y., into a new and 
sparsely settled region of the Catskills, where he began teaching in 
a small district school, " boarding around " much of the time with 
families living in small, uncomfortable log houses. Here, amidst 
most primitive conditions, he gained valuable experience, estab- 



DAVID D. SMITH, D.D. S., M.D. 



471 



Hshed his health, and in spite of his youth and deficiencies, con- 
tinued with the school to the close of the term. Returning in the 
spring to Fisherville, he worked through the summer, and in the 
autumn began with greater confidence and increased earnestness 
a term of school at Boscawen academy, a school of higher grade 
and more permanent than any hitherto attended ; a school estab- 




David D. Smith. 



lished and taught by Professor and Mrs. Jonathan Tenney. Mr. 
Tenney was a man of exceptional qualifications as a teacher, 
a most exemplary man, and much respected and lov^ed by his 
pupils. Dr. Smith will ever cherish the memory of the two good 
men, Stephen Bean and Jonathan Tenney, and gratefully acknowl- 
edges the salutary and potent influence of their example and teach- 
ings on all his after life. 



472 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Although still greatly handicapped from lack of means, his \va}' 
from this time was less difficult. District schools opened to him 
for winter teaching, and manual labor — once it was the farm — 
afforded occupation and some remuneration for the few weeks in 
summer between spring and fall terms of school. It has seemed 
essential to introduce somewhat at length these details as they had 
to do with the life in Fisherville and as bringing more clearly into 
view some of the helps, and the character-forming influences, as 
well as the obstacles and discouragements which entered into the 
shaping of a life. 

Through what may be termed a natural inclination, and for rea- 
sons which it is immaterial to mention here, there had been from 
boyhood in the mind of young Smith a rather dreamy desire and 
purpose, to engage in dentistry as a life-work. When twenty years 
of age this desire took more definite shape ; obstacles were thrust 
aside, and an engagement made with a dentist of Cambridge, 
Mass., where he began stud}% caring for the office, and doing 
such work in the laboratory as he could, being compensated with 
board. 

Although able here to obtain but the bare rudiments of den- 
tistry, he seemed in this work to be fitting more surely into his 
true niche in life. 

The dentistry of that time was very far removed from the pro- 
fession of the present day ; then there were no fixed requirements 
for entering upon practice, and but two so-called dental colleges 
in the country, with possibly forty students in them; to-day there 
are over sixty colleges, several of which are well equipped for 
teaching, and over four thousand students. Dr. Smith remained 
in Cambridge less than a year when he returned to Fisherville and 
opened an ofifice for himself. Here he succeeded in extracting a 
few teeth, and in making for friends, and a most charitable and 
kindly disposed public, a few sets of teeth. Two operations in 
Fisherville he remembers with a degree of pleasure ; one was mak- 
ing the fn'st set of teeth on the \-ulcanite base ever worn in New 
Hampshire; the other was the successful replanting of a tooth 
extracted by mistake ; although it has since become comparatively 
common, at that time he had never heard of the operation. When 
the Sixteenth Regiment, N. H. Volunteers, was formed, in 1862, 



DAVID D. SMITH, D. D. S., U. D. 473 

he enlisted, and was appointed commissary sergeant. He served 
the term of enlistment, principall}' on detail duty in and about 
New Orleans, returning to Concord to be mustered out with the 
regiment. 

Immediately following that he commenced the practice of den- 
tistry in Webster, Mass. His Cambridge experience, the little 
practice in Fishervillc, the army and school life, and his studies 
all contributed to a better preparation for what was to be his pro- 
fession. Two years of practice at Webster, although esteemed 
successful by others, was sufficient to convince him that there were 
attainments of which he, as yet, knew little or nothing; so, clos- 
ing out his ofifice and house here in the autumn of 1866 he re- 
paired to Philadelphia, and entered the Philadelphia Dental Col- 
lege as a student of dentistry. 

In 1867 he was graduated with the degree of D. D. S., and the 
same year was elected a member of the Faculty and made profes- 
sor of Mechanical Dentistry. From this may be said to date his 
professional career. To gain recognition and standing as the con- 
frere of men with a national reputation, in the city recognized as 
the center of medical and dental education ; a city so bound by 
conservatism that family ties and family name, often before deeds 
and worth, furnish a passport to society; to gain reputation and 
professional standing amidst such environment, and that with a 
plebeian name, was by no means easy of acquisition. 

In 1876, when in full dental practice and retaining the profes- 
sorship in the dental college, he matriculated at the Jefferson 
Medical College, and after a two years' course, in 1878, gradu- 
ated from the latter institution with the degree of M. D. 

In 1880 he accepted the chair of Operative Dentistry and was 
made dean of the faculty of the Philadelphia Dental College. 
These new duties in addition to his practice proving too arduous, 
he resigned the deanship, and in 1882, after serving in the faculty 
for fourteen years, withdrew all connection with college work, and 
has since devoted himself entirely to the interests of his private 
practice. Throughout his professional career, in college teaching, 
in dental societies, in his writings, and in his private practice he 
has consistently and persistently sought to advance the interests 
of the dental profession, having given to it new methods of prac- 



474 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

tice, and x^aluable appliances and instruments. His latest and most 
important paper, " Oral Prophylaxis," is challenging the attention 
of the profession, and markedl)' influencing practice and investi- 
gation. The editor of the International Dental yoiu'nal, under 
date of February 9, 1901, said of it, — "This system of prophy- 
laxis of Dr. D. D. Smith of Philadelphia will in all probability be 
the ruling practice of the twentieth century." 

Dr. Smith is a member of the American Dental Association ; 
an honorary member of the Massachusetts State Dental Society, 
the Northeastern (N. E.), the Odontological Society of Western 
Pennsylvania, and the Ontario Dental Society, Can. He is a 
member of the New England Society of Pennsylvania, the Pres- 
byterian Social Union, and the American Academy of Political 
and Social Science. 

Religiously his affiliations are with the Presbyterian church, and 
he has been for years a teacher in the original Bethany Sunday- 
school in Philadelphia. 

In 1 86 1, when twenty-two years of age, he was married to 
Cynthia A. Shedd, the youngest daughter of Dea. Luther and 
Abigail Shedd, of Fisherville. Of her it may most truly be said, 
— " Her children arise up and call her blessed, her husband 
also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, 
but thou excellest them all. . . . Her own works praise her 
in the gates." Prov. 31 : 28-31. 

FRED H. BLANCIIARD. 

Fred Huse Blanchard, son of George F. and Ann (Huse) 
Blanchard, was born at Canterbur}-, N. H., June 27, 1872, where 
he resided until he came to Penacook. His schooling in the 
public schools of his native town was supplemented by a course at 
the High school at Concord. In 1891 he, with his father, opened 
a meat and provision store in the south store of Eagle block, 
under the firm name of Blanchard & Son. In 1897 the senior 
member of the tuin retired from the business, which has since 
been successfully conducted by his son Fred. 

Mr. Blanchard has taken an active interest in Masonry, being 
a member of Horace Chase lodge. Trinity chapter, Horace Chase 
council, and Mount Horeb commandery of Knights Templar. 
He has also been prominent in Odd Fellowship, and is a past 



FRED II. BLANCHARD. 



475 



grand of Contoocook lodge. He is also a member of Merrimack 
River grange, but as yet has not found time to get married ; how- 
ever he is one of the youngest of the merchants and will doubt- 
less find time to attend to that part of his duties later on. Mr. 
Blanchard represented his native town in the New Hampshire 
legislature in the session of 1899, being the youngest representa- 
tive ever sent from that town, and one of the }'oungest in the 
whole house. 




Fked. H. Bl.^nchard. 



In the autumn of 1900 Mr. Blanchard moved his business to 
the new store in the lower story of the Little block, which had 
been entirely rebuilt and refitted for his use. This new store con- 
tains all the modern improvements and appliances for carrying on 
the meat and provision business, and is a very long step in 
advance of anything in that line previously seen in the village, in 
fact, the establishment would be a credit to any city in our state. 

Mr. Blanchard is a Republican in politics, and his religious 
affiliations are with the Congregational church. 



476 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 







j^^^w T^lj^ 





Capt. Hp:.\ry Rolfe. 



Capt. Nat}iam1',l Rulfe. 



THE ROLFE FAAHLY. 

One of the original families who settled within the limits of 
Penacook was the Rolfe family, of whom the portraits herewith 
represent members of the last five generations. 

Henry Rolfe of Newbury, Mass., one of the original proprietors 
of Concord, secured the land on the Merrimack river south of the 
mouth of the Contoocook, which has been the home of the family 





Abial W. Rolfe. 



Harky G. Rolfe. 



HAZEN KNOWLTON. 477 

from the first settlement to the present day, a period of nearly two 
hundred years. Henry Rolfe, born in 1785, whose portrait is 
shown, was one of the fourth generation, and built the first saw- 
mill on this estate in 1825. Nathaniel Rolfe, of the fifth genera- 
tion, born in 1814, continued with his brothers in the lumber 
business established by his father, and carried on some farming 
operations. Abial \V. Rolfe, of the sixth generation, born in 
1844, with his elder brother, Charles, is still carrying on the lum- 
ber business at a sawmill at the Borough, and an extensive manu- 
factory of doors, sash, and blinds, on the home property. 




Richard Rolfe. 

Harry G. Rolfe, born in 1875, the present alderman for his 
ward, represents the seventh generation, and is connected with 
his father's business as manager of the ofifice, and his son, 
Richard, born 1899, represents the eighth generation. Of all the 
early families, the Rolfes have kept most closely to the old home- 
stead, and are the most numerous, at this date, of any family in 
the village. 

HAZEN KNOWLTON. 

About the oldest carpenter in the village is Hazen Knowlton, 
son of Nathaniel and Ruth P. (Sargent) Knowlton. He was 
born May 13, 1824, at Concord, N. H., near St. Paul's School, 
and has resided in some part of Concord all his life. His school- 



478 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



ing was obtained partly at Millville, at Horse Hill, and in the 
central part of the town. 

He came to Penacook November 30, 1846, at a time when 
there were but six houses on the Concord side of the river, in the 
central part, but when, by the building of the Penacook mill, 
there were great expectations of a coming city. He first began 



1 





Hazen Knowlton. 



work with Rolfc Brothers (Nathaniel, Henry, Timoth}', and 
Abial) in the sash, blind, and box shops. 

Some twenty years later he went to the Concord Axle Works, 
where he was employed nearly twcntx' }'cars, since which time he 
has retired from the carpentering business, and given his attention 
to the cultivation of his land. In 1866 he purchased a tract of 
land fronting on Penacook street, in what was called the " bog" 



GEORGE T. KENNEY. 479 

district, and built a substantial residence at the corner of Rolfe 
and Penacook streets. His land in that and other sections of the 
village has appreciated in value, and a considerable portion has 
been sold for house lots, so that he finds himself now in easier 
circumstances than when he was learning his trade as apprentice 
to Mr. Diniond at $S.oo per month, boarding himself from the 
proceeds of that rather meager salary. 

Mr. Knowlton was one of the earlier members of the Pioneer 
Engine company, and served with that organization some twenty- 
five years. 

He was also one of the early members of the Congregational 
church, and has led a consistent Christian life until this day. 

He has not sought public office, but has served his ward in the 
city council, also as prudential committee for district No. 20. 

Mr. Knowlton was married November 27, 1850, to Eliza G. 
Shedd, by whom he has four children, two sons and two daugh- 
ters ; Edward S., the oldest son, is settled in the West; Clara, 
married Daniel K. Abbott of Concord ; Emma, married Frank A. 
Main of Concord ; and his youngest son, Capt. Arthur H. 
Knowlton, is a prosperous druggist at Concord, N. H. 

GEORGE T. KENNEY. 

[contributed by HOX. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

George T. Kenney, foreman at the Concord Axle Works, is the 
son of George and Mary (Maher) Kenney, and was born in Bos- 
cawen, a little beyond the old Ambrose tavern stand, on May 
12, 1854. 

His grandfather, also named George, came to this country from 
the County of Donegal, in the north of Ireland, in 1848. His 
family, consisting of six sons and two daughters, followed him in 
1850. The father of George T. located in Boscawcn shortly after 
his arrival, where for a time he worked at shoemaking, until that 
business declined, when he followed railroading until he entered 
the employ of D. Arthur Brown & Co. at the Concord Axle 
Works. He died on November 27, 1867, at the age of thirty- 
seven. 

On January 20, 186S, but a few months after his father's death, 
George T. began work for D. Arthur Brown & Co. as office boy, 



48o 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



and from that time has remained continuously at the axle works 
— thirt}'-three )'ears, fourteen of which he has been foreman. All 
of these years he has been painstaking and faithful, and his labors 
have been duly appreciated by his emplo}-ers. 

His son, George L. Kenney, has also been engaged under him, 
so three generations of the same name and same family have been 




GEOiUii:: T. Kennkv. 



producing the " Concord axle," whose merits are known and 
appreciated all over the country, and, as well, in not a few foreign 
ports. 

Mr. Kenney married Margaret, the oldest daughter of the late 
Lawrence Gahagan, in 1874. The product of the union has been 
three sons and three daughters. 

Mr. Kenney is a thorough mechanic, and years of experience 



EDWAKJ) MCARDLE. 48 I 

have made him " master of his trade." He is practically in the 
prime of life, and in his own sphere is a good type of the men 
who have in his native state brought credit to the land of their 
birth, or of their ancestors, for some of New Hampshire's most 
useful citizens sprang from north of Ireland parentage. Mr. Ken- 
ney is one of the most prominent members of the Catholic con- 
gregation, and is often called on to superintend funerals and other 
functions of his society. 

LAWRENCE GAIIAGAN. 

[COXTKIHUTED 1!Y HON. J. C. I.INKHAN.] 

Lawrence Gahagan, a native of the County Meath, Ireland, 
was a citizen of Penacook as early as 1852, and was emplo\-ed 
for several years in the card room of the Penacook mill. In 
later years he engaged in the milk business, and in consequence 
became well known. His residence for many years was in the 
large double tenement house on Crescent street just north of the 
town line. There he brought up a family of three daughters and 
one son. The son, Richard, married Mary Mulligan, and has 
three children. Of the daughters Margaret married George T. 
Kenney, and has six children; Mary A. married Michael J. 
Linehan, and has seven children ; and Rose married Andrew 
Linehan, and has four children. 

Mr. Gahagan died January i, 1894, aged sixty-eight }-ears ; a 
man of exemplary character and habits, and respected b}' all who 
knew him. His widow followed him on October 24, 1S97, ^ge(-^ 
seventy-three years; both were buried in Calvary cemetery at 
Penacook. 

EDWARD MCARDLE. 

[COXTRHJUTED BY HON. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

Edward McArdle, one of the most popular men in Penacook, 
in his day, came here in 1852. He was born in the County 
Meath, Ireland, and was a brother of Peter McArdle, of Mrs. 
Lawrence Gahagan, and Mrs. James Connor. He died in 1871 or 
1872. His body was buried beside that of his father in the 
Catholic cemetery in Manchester, N. H. His widow married 
John P. Foley. No family survives him. 



482 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

THOMAS (^UIGLEV. 

[contributed 1!Y HON. J. C. I.INKHAN.] 

Thomas Ouigle}' came to Penacook before 1856, from Leeds, 
England, but was a native of Kilkcnn\', Ireland. He was em- 
ployed at the Harris woolen mill. He died April 15, 1876, aged 
seventy-four. But four of his family survive : Matthew, who 
married Mar}-, the oldest daughter of John Linehan, and who 
resides in Providence, R. I.; Annie, who lives in the same city, 
married Christopher Ouinn ; Ann and James, both of whom live 
in Penacook; the latter served in the navy during the Civil War. 

H^ANCIS O'NEIL. 

[contributed 1!V HON. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

Among the pioneer Irish Catholics of Penacook was Francis 
O'Neil. He was here in 1856, and for a number of }-ears worked 
for the Rolfe Bros. He died Jul\' 30, 1888, aged seventy. 

He was a native of Omagh in the Count}' Tyrone, Ireland, 
where President Buchanan's [parents were born. One of his sons, 
John O'Neil, now a [practising attorney at Manchester, N. H., 
represented ward one in the Concord board of aldermen some 
years ago. 

His widow still lives (1901 ) in the homestead near Woodlawn 

cemetei'}'. 

EDWARD TAYLOR. 

[CONTRIIU'TKD BY HON. J. C. I.INLHAN.] 

Edward Ta\'lor came to Penacook in 1852. lie was born in 
Rosscommon, Ireland. While in life he was one of the best 
known men in Penacook, and accumulated considerable property. 
He died before 1890, and left one son and two daughters. His 
son died before 1900. His widow and children reside in the 
block for so man}' years in possession of the famil}'. 

rATRKK KKLLEY. 

[CONTRIBUTED P.V HoN. J. C. I.INEHAN.] 

Patrick Kelley was born in the town of Strokestown, Count}' 
Rosscommon, Ireland. He came to the United States in 1846. 
He married Elizabeth McKeon on Jul\- S, 1851. He came to 



JEREMIAH REGAN. 



4«3 



Peiiacook a little later, where he made his home until his death. 
He was in the emplo)- of the Concord Axle Works for many years. 
He died on Jul}' 15, 1895. His widow followed him in 1899. 




Patrick Kelley. 



His survi\-ing children are James of the police force, John, 
Edward, and Ellen, the latter the wife of Frank Eerrin. He 
was sexton of the Catholic church for over twent}' )'ears. 



JEREMIAH REGAX. 

[CONTRniUrKD I!V HON. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

Jeremiah Regan, another worth}' representative of his race and 
creed, was born in Ireland near IMacroom, Cork count}^ He 
came to Penacook in 1865, where he has since resided. He is 



484 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



an honest, trustworthy man, whose word is as good as his bond, 
and in every way deserves the good wishes of all who respect 
truth and honest}', for in his daily life he well exemplifies both. 

PATRICK P,ARRV. 

[CONTRII'.UTED ]!Y HON. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

Patrick Barry, one of the best known of his race in Penacook, 
came to this country in 1850, and to Penacook in 1859, where 
he has since resided. He worked in the Contoocook mill or as 
yard hand for sixteen years. He has been through life a steady, 
industrious, thrifty man, and has, in consequence, provided for 
himself against a rainy day. He was born in the parish of 
Kilmichael, County of Cork, Ireland. 




PATKICK IJ.VUKV. 



KIARAN PEXDERGAST. 



485 




K I A R A N 1 ' ICX 1 J li K C; AST . 



KIARAX PENDERGAST. 

[CONTKir.UTF.n 1!V HON. J. C. LIN'EHAN.] 

Kiaran Pcndergast, a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, came to 
Pcnacook in the fall of 1852. He worked at the Harris mill as a 
jack spinner. He died in 1868. But tjvo of his family survive, 
Mary, who is the wife of John C. Linehan, and Annie, widow of 
the late Thomas Igo, who resides in Concord. Mr. Pendergast 
was of a noted family of wool carders, many of whom were well 
known in various parts of New England. His son, John Pender- 
gast, while in life was well known in Penacook and Concord ; he 
married Annie, daughter of John Linehan. 



486 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

JAMES DOLAN. 

[contributed HY HON. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

James Uolan was for many years employed in the Penacook 
mill in the weaving room. He was in Penacook before 1856. 
His name is borne in kind remembrance by those with whom he 
labored, for he was a good man and a liberal supporter of his 
church, as well as a warm lover of his native land. He died on 
March 5, 1877, aged fifty-three. But one of his family survives 
him, Mrs Emily Supry, wife of George Supry. He had a 
brother Richard who worked for years for the same firm, and a 
brother Thomas who served in the Civil War. Richard died. A 
son of his, John Francis Dolan, belongs to the community of 
Notre Dame, at South Bend, Ind. 

ANDREW KEEXAX. 

[CONTIUHUTED BY HON. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

Andrew Keenan is a native of the County Meath, Ireland. He 
came to Penacook in 1852. He was followed a little later by his 
brothers Peter, Francis, Thomas, and Lawrence. Andrew and 
Lawrence are the only survivors. Frank was killed at Fair Oaks 
in 1862, in the Fifth New Hampshire Volunteers. Thomas went 
to Australia in 1857, and Peter died here. Andrew married a 
sister of the late Lawrence Gahagan. Some of his children 
residing in Penacook are Mrs. Andrew Spearman, another 
daughter Rose A., and a son Alonzo, and a son Peter. Mr. 
Keenan was born in 1831. 

JOIIX GAIIAC.AX. 

[CONTRIllUrKD HY HON. J. C. I.INKHAN.] 

John Gahagan was undoubtedly the first Irish Catholic making 
his home in Penacook permancntl}-. He was born in the County 
Meath, Ireland, in 1816. He was in Penacook before 1852. He 
died on March 20, 1856, aged thirty-eight. A stepson of his, 
Richard Nolan, was killed wliilc with the Seventh New Hamp- 
shire Volunteers at P""ort Wagner. A son of his, Thomas 
Gahagan, served through the war in the P'ifth New Hampshire, 
Company A. This son and another named Vincent, and Mary, 



ANDREW FOLEY 



487 



the wife of James Kelley of the police force, are the sole sur- 
vivors of his family. He built the house now occupied by the 
daughter named. 

ANDREW FOLEY. 

[contributed 1!V HON. J. C. LINEHAN.] 

Andrew Foley was born near Macroom, County Cork, Ireland. 
He came to Penacook in 1864, and has resided here constantly 




AXDRKW FOLEV, 



since. During all of these years he has been in the employ of 
the Concord Axle company. He is a good, quiet, unobtrusive 
man, bearing his trials, and he has had his share of them, with 
Christian patience and resignation. He married a sister of 
Andrew Keenan. Four children survive, Patrick, Thomas, John, 



4S8 HISTORY OP' TEXACOOK. 

and Allen. A brother, John P., resides in the \illage ; another, 
Patrick, a former emplo}-e of the Concord Axle compan\-, is now 
a prosperous farmer in Minnesota, where he has been since 1878. 

MARTIN NOLAN. 

[COXTRniUTKl) l;V HON. J. C. l.INEH.AN.] 

Martin Nolan came from Gahva}- in the west of Ireland. He 
was in Penacook before i860, and has resided there constantK^ 
since. During all these }'ears, until reccntl}', he had charge of 
the Penacook section of the Northern Railroad, and it can safeh- 
be said that the corporation never possessed a more faithful 
servant. His family consists of two sons, John in the West, and 
William in Laconia, and three daughters, one of whom is the wife 
of Andrew Lannan, a trusted employe of the Concord Axle com- 
pany, and another the wife of Peter Keenan, son of Andrew. 

JAMES CONNOR. 

[COXTRDiUTKD HV HON. J. C. I.IN KII AX.] 

James Connor was a native of County Clare, Ireland. He 
came to Penacook in 1856. For some years he worked on the 
railroad, but nearly all the time while in Penacook lie followed 
the occupation of stone layer, and proved to be a trusty man in 
that line. He married a sister of Edward McArdle ; she died 
some years before he did. His death, which occurred before 
1890, was caused b\' an accident, a collision with a team. He 
left three children, but one of whom resides in Penacook. A 
son, Edward, lives in Northfield or Sanbornton, and a daughter 
in Boston. 

IIENRV A. ]!R()\VN. 

Henry Arthur Brown, of the fourth generation of the famih- 
resident in Penacook, son of D. Arthur and Susan M. (FoUans- 
bce) Brown, was born Feb. 8, 1868, in the Winn house on 
Brown's Hill, Penacook, N. H. 

His early education was obtained at the district schools, and 
later at Penacook academy, when that institution was under the 
management of Rev. J. H. Larry. P^rom there he entered the 
High school at Concord, being one of the first scholars from Pen- 



IIKXRV A. BROWN. 



489 



acook to take the high school course, which he completed and 
graduated in 1886 in the same class with John J. Linehan. 

After graduation he served an apprenticeship at pattern making 
under Mr. John Harris at the Concord Axle Works, and after a 
short term at that occupation was taken into the office of that 
company as shipping clerk and assistant. In that position he has 




Hexrv a. Brown. 



developed great proficienc\- in office affairs and business dealings 
generall}'. In 1897 he became assistant superintendent of the 
works, his natural mechanical ability making him a valuable man 
for such position. 

Mr. Brown has much natural musical talent, and became a pro- 
ficient performer on the cornet at an early age, and for several 
\'ears did considerable work in orchestra and brass band music. 



490 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

but gave up that line of work when he found that it would inter- 
fere with his duties at the ofifice. 

In another h'ne of music Mr. Brown has given much study and 
practice, having been leader and manager of the choir at the First 
Baptist church during the last five x-ears. He had pre\'iously been 
a member of a male quartette organization, in which he had done 
a considerable amount of singing for public and private occasions. 
With his mixed quartette choir at the church he has been unusu- 
ally successful, and is singing a class of music but seldom heard 
in a country church. His present choir consists of Mrs. Emma 
Hoyt, soprano; Miss Martha Rolfe, contralto; Henry A. Brown, 
tenor; Geo. N. Robertson, bass, and Mrs. George Gale, organist, 
the latter being a performer of exceptional ability. 

Mr. Brown is a member of Horace Chase lodge, F. and A. 
Masons, in which he now holds the position of S. D. 

On Nov. 29, 1892, Mr. Brown was married to Grace Adele 
Prescott of Penacook, and has one son, Ivobert Arthur Brown, 
born Aug. 9, 1895. He resides at the homestead on Elm street, 
and is a member of the Penacook gun club, being quite proficient 
in the use of both gun and rifle. 

In 1886 Mr. Brown joined the X. H. N. G., being commissioned 
as chief bugler on the staff of General White; he also served in 
the same position on the staff of General Patterson, being six years 
in the service. 

ISAAC iSAlV. 

While the acKice of Horace Grcele}' to }n)ung men to " Go 
West" has still much weight, it does not follow that it is necessary 
for all young men to go so far from home to be successful in 
business. As an example of what a young man may accomplish 
by well directed industry in a New England country village, the 
life of Isaac l^aty gives a striking illustration. Mr. Baty was born 
Oct, 31, 1847, at St. Albans, Vt., his parents being Isaac and 
Margaret (Herron) Baty. 

His boyhood days were spent at W'illiston, Yt., where he 
obtained but scant}' school pri\-ileges, and at an early age he 
learned the trade of tinsmith, which he has found to be a good 
trade to " tie to." When but seventeen }'ears of age Mr. Baty 



ISAAC BATV. 



491 



enlisted in Company A, Seventh Regiment, Vermont Volunteers^ 
and served until after the close of the war, being mustered out 
March 14, 1866. Immediately after his war service he came to 
Penacook in 1866, and worked for one year as a tinsmith for 
Moses H. Bean in the basement of the store which he now occu- 
pies. Mr. Bean sold his business to Horace Sessions, for whom 




Isaac Baty. 

Mr. Baty worked but three months, and then purchased the busi- 
ness for himself, and has continued the same business on the same 
spot for thirt}'-three years. Soon after taking up the business 
Mr. Baty moved up to the first floor of the building and put in a 
stock of stoves, and quickly developed into an expert salesman as 
well as a skilful workman at the bench. The stove business soon 
became the leading feature, although he has always kept the tin 



492 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



shop in active operation. A few years later he added the pkimb- 
ing and steam fitting branches to his business, and with additions 
to his store has enlarged his business by adding lines of hardware, 
plumbing materials, clocks, watches, and jewelry, crockery, glass, 
and furniture. His store has been enlarged four times, and is now 
at least six times as large as the original premises. His goods at 




Resujencic of Isaac Batv. 



the front of the store are tasteful])- arranged and make a ver)' at- 
tractive display. 

In 1872 Mr. Baty married Mrs. Mary (Mahony) Smith of l^id- 
deford, Maine, who has taken an active interest in his business 
affairs, and is a capable and eflficient assistant. 

In 18S2 they built an attractive homestead on Washington 
street with extensive lawns surrounding it, embellished with a large 
amount of shrubbery, flower gardens, and the like. Eight years 



JOHN A. CODURX. 493 

later he built a large tenement house on Charles street, and in 
1893 he purchased the large block at the corner of Main and 
Washington streets, which has latcl\' been refitted as a hotel, the 
Central House. Mr. Baty has given but little time to societies, 
but was for some years a prominent member of the Sons of Tem- 
perance organization and attained to the highest position in the 
state, being grand worthy patriarch of New Hampshire. Also for 
a few years he was a member of the G. A. R. post of the village. 
He is a Republican in politics. 

JOHN A. COBURN. 

John Adams Coburn, son of Robert and Jennie (Adams) 
Coburn, was born October 7, 1812, at Springfield, N. H., where 
his boyhood days were passed, and where he obtained a limited 
education at the town schools. 

When old enough to leave home, he went to Warner, N. H., to 
learn the harness maker's trade of his older brother, Asa. After 
some years in his brother's shop he started out to establish a 
shop of his own, and located at Boscawen Plain, somewhere about 
1840, where he did a successful business for several years. While 
in Boscawen Mr. Coburn married Miss Malvina A. Re}-nolds. 
About 1847, or a little earlier, Mr. Coburn moved down to Pena- 
cook, where he soon built the Coburn block over the canal and 
a residence on Elm street, the house being now owned by Samuel 
N. Brown, Esq. Mr. Coburn established his harness shop in the 
north store, where he did a successful business in the manufacture 
of harness and trunks for a long series of years. It seems strange 
now, but at the time when Mr. Coburn was first in business in the 
village if a trunk was wanted it had to be made to order, of such 
size and quality as might be agreed on by Mr. Coburn and his 
customers. There are still man)' of Coburn's hand-made trunks 
in the attics of the older houses of the village. Another line of 
business taken up by Mr. Coburn shortly after settling in the 
village was trimming the plain pinewood cofifins made by John 
Johnson, the carpenter, and this developed later into the under- 
taking business which Mr. Cobin-n was first to establish in the vil- 
lage. 

Soon after Woodlawn Cemetery association was organized, Mr. 



494 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



Coburn, who was one of the charter members, was appointed sex- 
ton, and held that office continuonsh' for thirt}'-three years, with 
the exception of one year. On coming to the \-illage, Mr. Coburn 
and his wife joined the Baptist chyrch, and both continued faith- 
ful and efficient members during the remainder of their lives. 

In Odd Fellowship ^Ir. Coburn took a prominent position, and 




John A. Cobukn. 



served in all the offices of the organization. He was also a char- 
ter member of Pioneer Engine company, and kept his member- 
ship in tlie company for a generation. 

Mr. Coburn's first wife died in June, 1893, and he took for his 
second wife Mrs. Mary I'^. (Martin) Howe, but he had no chil- 
dren by either of his wives. His second wife, the widow of 



DANIEL HOLDEN. 495 

Alphcus G. Howe, had three children, two sons and one daughter, 
now the wife of r^zra B. Runnels, who resides at the Coburn 
homestead on Cross street. Mr. Coburn died July 8, 1899, and 
was buried in Woodlawn cemetery. His widow survived him 
less than one year, her death being on February 13, 1900. 

DANIEL IIOLDEN. 

Daniel Holden, although a resident of the adjoining village of 
West Concord, was, by his business connection as treasurer and 
agent of the Concord Manufacturing Co., one of the most promi- 
nent of the Penacook manufacturers. He was born in Billerica, 
Mass., April 20, 1809, a son of Asa and Nancy (Wyman) 
Holden, and a lineal descendant of Richard Holden, the Puritan, 
who came from Ipswich, England, to Watertown, Mass., in 1634. 
At thirteen years of age his school days were finished, and he 
worked as a farmer until twenty years old ; then he left Billerica, 
and obtained work in the flannel mill of IT. G. Howe of Tewks- 
burw He was first paid eight dollars per month, with board, and 
later twelve dollars per month. He soon obtained a complete 
knowledge of the processes of flannel manufacture, so that, at the 
end of the first three years' service, when only twent\'-three }-ears 
old, he engaged to run the mill by contract. 

In 1837, at the age of twenty-eight, he was appointed superin- 
tendent of the Chelmsford compan\', in that part of Lowell which 
was then Dracut, and remained in that position for ten years. In 
1847 l''^ removed to West Concord, N. H., and in company with 
his elder brother, Benj. F. Holden, began the manufacture of 
woolen goods. After the death of his brother in 1874 a corpora- 
tion was formed under the name of Concord Manufacturing Co., 
of which Daniel Holden became treasurer and agent, which posi- 
tion he held during the remainder of his life. Mr. Holden de\'oted 
his time and energies almost exclusively to his business, having 
rarely permitted himself to be drawn into public affairs. As a 
citizen of Concord, however, he felt it his dut}', when called 
upon, to serve the cit\-, and was alderman for his ward in 1S74, 
and a representative in the New Hampshire legislature in 1865 — 
'66, and in 1875. 

Mr. Holden married, first, in 1834, Sarah Ha)'ncs, who died in 



496 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



1843, leaving four children; and second, in 1844, Roxanna 
Haynes, who had seven children. The two wives were sisters, 
and daughters of Reuben Haynes of Sudbury, Mass. At his 
decease Mr. Holden had seven children living, viz. : Two daugh- 
ters, Lucy L. and Ella R., of West Concord, and five sons; 
Wyman \V. of Stockbridge, Vt. ; Farwell P. of Penacook, X. H. ; 





Danikl Holuen. 



luiward D., of the Stirling Mills, Lowell, Mass.; and Paul R. and 
Adam P., of the Concord Manufacturing Co. of West Concord, 
N. H. 

An intense desire for knowledge had made Mr. Ilolden a con- 
stant and industrious reader from b()}-hootl, and this, combined 
with travel, had in a great measure made good the lack of school- 
ing which he missed in his early days. His career affords an 



EDMUND WORTH, JR. 497 

illustration of the success in life secured by men who, with limited 
educational advantages in youth, have attained to honorable posi- 
tions in the community. 

When Mr. Holden was born there was, practically, no wool 
manufacture in this country by the machine system, and when he 
began work in a woolen mill in 1829 the business was still in its 
infancy, so that in his long business career Mr. Holden saw the 
whole development of the great woolen industry of the United 
States. For seventy years, a notably long term, Mr. Holden kept 
at his business, and was at his mill on the day before his death. 
Although somewhat infirm during his last years, Mr. Holden was 
a man of remarkable strength and vigor, partly owing to his good 
constitution, but largely to his temperate habits and careful li\ing. 
His sight w'as remarkable, and he was a constant reader, preferring 
chiefly books on historical and scientific subjects. Few men of 
his limited opportunities in early life develop into culture so broad 
and so liberal. Few men commanded so implicitl}' the confidence 
and love of his neighbors, or bore more modestly or more faith- 
fully his part in the life of the community. 

His religious affiliations were with the Universalist denomina- 
tion, and in politics he was an ardent Republican. 

Mr. Holden died at his West Concord home on April 1 1, 1899, 
in his ninetieth year, and his funeral was attended by a great con- 
course of citizens, and many distinguished men from abroad. 

EDMUND WORTH, JR. 

One of the }'oung men w^ho spent their boyhood da\'s in Pena- 
cook and then went West to seek his fortune was Edmund 
Worth, Jr., son of Rev. Edmund Worth (first pastor of the Bap- 
tist church) and Amelia A. (Morse) Worth, born at Concord, 
N. H., in 1836. He came with his parents to Penacook in 1845, 
the famil}^ occup}Mng the William H. Allen house on Elm street. 
Edmund was always a leader among the village boys, both at 
school and in their out-door sports, and early developed an 
inherited aptitude for gaining the good will and respect of all his 
associates. He attended the village schools, and at intervals 
worked in the Penacook mill, where most of the village boys 
found occupation. 
33 



498 



HISTORY OF TEXACOOK. 



About i855-'56 he, with quite a number of the vihagc boys 
and girls, attended the academy at New London, N. H., whicli 
scliool seemed to have unusual attractions for the Penacook }'outh, 
as there were thirteen from the village attending at New London 
at one time. At about that time, 1856, Rev. Mr. Worth moved 
his family to Kennebunk, ALiine, and soon after that date Txlmund 




Edmund Wokth, Jk. 

started out to find his fortune at the opposite side of the continent, 
and settled in San Francisco, Cal., where he lias resided most of 
the time since. He came East in 1S76 and took a fine old man- 
sion house in Kennebunk for his residence, but could not feel 
contented there, and so gave up the Lastern countr\- altogetlicr 
and settled permanently at San Francisco. He has been a suc- 
cessful merchant, and has a famil\- consisting of a wife, one son, 



CAIT. JOHN SAWYER. 499 

and one daughter. His son joined the first California regiment 
that went to the Philippine war, serving as a bugler and returned 
with the regiment. 

Mr. Worth retains the faith of his fathers, and has been a mem- 
ber of the Baptist church, and for many years served as organist 
for the church with which he was connected. 

CAPT. JOHN SAWYER. 

At a date as early as the erection of the first cotton mill in the 
village, one of the largest landowners was John Sawyer, son of 
Samuel and Lucy Sawyer, who was born June 16, 1798. He 
was the eighth child in a famil}' of twelve children, seven sons 
and five daughters. 

Captain Sawj^er was twice married, first to Phebe C. Elliott, a 
sister of Theodore Elliott, the noted millwright of the borough. 
By this union there was one son, Warren P. Sawyer, born in 
1835, and who died December 22, 1854. The mother died 
during the following year, November 30, 1855. 

His second marriage was on March 5, 1857, to Hannah Hale, 
of North Boscawen, who had no children. 

In early life Captain Saw}'er learned the trade of carpenter, and 
worked at that business more or less until middle life, and was 
always engaged somewhat in farming. He earned his militar}' 
title as captain of the Third Infantry in 1832. He was also captain 
of the Jackson Rifle company the last }'ear of its existence, 1845. 

Mr. Sawyer owned quite a large part of the land on which the 
village was built, on the Concord side of the river, previous to 
1840, and the sale of house lots gave him a considerable income. 
In earlier years Captain Sawyer lived in the house which stood 
on the corner now occupied by the Washington House. Some 
time previous to 1840 he had a new brick house built by Mr. 
Hale (father of his second wife), on the lot now occupied by 
Exchange block; he had also a large farmer's barn standing on 
the land now occupied by Graphic block, and there was a small 
brook running down at the back of house and barn towards the 
Contoocook river, which brook has now disappeared from the 
surface of the ground, and dwelling houses now cover the place 
where the boys formerly gathered " water cresses." 



500 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



In 1847 ^^^- Sawyer, in company with Joseph Eastman, of 
West Concord, built the Washington House, and was proprietor 
of that property for several years. About 1852 ^Ir. Saw\-er 
built the large dwelling house on Washington street, corner of 
Charles street, which he made his homestead during the remain- 
der of his life. His old brick residence on Washington square 




Capt. John Sawyer. 



was moved in 1870 back a few rods to Washington street, and 
is now owned by Charles Barnet. Captain Saw\er was a man 
of sterling qualities and unblemished character. In 1853 he was 
elected a representative in the New Hampshire legislature, and 
served occasionally in minor offices of his village. During the 
later years of his life he was a member of the First Baptist 



I 



JOIIX LIXEIIAX. 501 

church. Captain Sawyer died November i, 1888, Icavinc^ no 
children, but his widow survived until May 25, 1899. 

JOHN LINEIIAN. 

John Linehan was born in Macroom, County of Cork, Ireland, 
on December 16, 18 16. His immediate ancestors were Cornelius 
and Honora Vaughan Linehan, and John and Mary Riordan 
Linehan. His mother died soon after his birth. His grand- 
father, for whom he was named, took him when this event 
occurred, and he made his home with him until he reached 
manhood. He received a good education in a noted private 
school kept by a man named Burden. Several generations of the 
family had been engaged in the grain and milling business. On 
the death of his grandfather he inherited his propert}' and busi- 
ness. At the age of twenty-one, in 1837, ^e married Margaret 
Fole}', the daughter of a well-known farmer in the adjoining 
parish of Kilmichael. 

The terrible experience of the famine period taught him as it 
had thousands of others that there was no earthly hope of suc- 
cess for either himself or family in Ireland ; so like so many of 
his race, he turned his face towards the West, and came to the 
United States in the fall of 1847. 

He landed in New York city. A little later he came to New 
Hampshire where he entered the employ of Superintendent Lom- 
bard of the Northern Railroad. His famil)% consisting then of his 
wife and five children, followed him in the fall of 1849. From 
their arrival until May, 1852, they had made their home in the 
town of Danbury. In May of the latter year he removed to 
Penacook where practically a home was made permanently. 

For some years he was foreman of the Penacook section, and 
later was in the employ of Barron, Dodge & Co., at the flour mill. 
Still later he was in the cabinet shop of H. H. Amsden & Sons. 
He died on July 7, 1897, '•"> 1"^'-^ eighty-first year, and his body 
was laid beside that of his wife, whose death had preceded his, as 
she had departed this life on October 14, 1891, aged seventy-six. 
Both rest in Calwary cemetery, Penacook. 

He was well versed in the histor}' of his native land, and sym- 
pathized with every movement for the advancement of its people. 



502 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

He was a good citizen and a public-spirited man. He was full}' 
naturalized five years after his arrival here, and he never failed 
to cast his ballot for the candidate of his choice. Politically he 
was a Democrat, but independent; his first presidential ballot was 
cast for James Buchanan, his last for William McKinle}'. 

In religion he was a Catholic — a loyal adherent to the faith of 
his fathers. He was one of the pioneers of his creed in Pena- 
cook, and while in life one of its most liberal supporters. 
He was a faithful husband, an affectionate, indulgent father, 
and a kind neighbor. He was blessed in his wife. She was 
one of the most devout as well as one of the most modest of 
her sex. A perfect type of the race of women whose piet\' and 
love of virtue have given their native land a world-wide reputation. 
Eight children, five sons and three daughters, blessed their union. 

Mary, born December, 1837; she married Matthew Ouigley. 
Two sons, both of whom survive, blessed this union. Their home 
is in Providence, R. I. 

John Cornelius, born February 9, 1840; he married Mary E. 
Pendergast on January 2, 1864. They had four children grow to 
manhood and womanhood. 

Annie, born in May, 1842; she married John Pendergast, the 
brother of the wife of John C. Of this marriage three children 
survive. 

Joanna, born October, 1844, immarried. 

Timothy Patrick, born April 5, 1847; he is now pastor of St. 
Mary's church, Biddeford, Maine. 

The foregoing five mentioned were born in Macroom, Ireland. 

Andrew, the first of the American born, first saw light in 
Danbury, N. H., in September, 1850. He married Rose A. 
Gahagan. They were the parents of three sons and one daugh- 
ter, all of whom were living in October, 1900. 

George Henry, born in Danbury, in September, 1852. He 
married Margaret Lee. One daughter was the result of this 
marriage. The family live in Cambridge, Mass. 

Michael Joseph, born in Penacook, in September, 1S54. He 
married Mary A. Gahagan. She was sister of the wife of 
Andrew. Seven children were the product of this marriage, all 
of whom were living at the date of writing. 



HON. JOHN C. LINEHAX. 503 

This family also resides in Cambridge, Mass. Michael has 
been a clerk in the Railway Mail service since 1886. 

HON. JOHN CORNELIUS LINEHAN. 

John Cornelius Linehan is the son of John and Margaret Foley 
Linehan. He was born in Macroom, County of Cork, Ireland, 
February 9, 1840. He came to this countr\^ with his mother, his 
brother Timothy, and two sisters, in October, 1849. Another 
sister followed a year later. His father had emigrated two years 
before, settling temporarily in Danbury, N. H., where his family 
joined him. In 1852 he removed with his people to Fisher\'ille, 
now Penacook, making his home there permanently. His oppor- 
tunities for securing an education were limited. He attended 
school in Ireland five years, and in America three. He studied 
hard at home under the direction of his father, who, more fortu- 
nate, had been able to get a good education in his native land. 
At the age of twelve he went to work in the Penacook cotton 
factory, which was then owned and operated by H. H. and J. S. 
Brown. He labored there from 1852 to 1857, five years, begin- 
ning as a doffer in the spinning room, and ending as a loom 
fixer in the weaving room. At the latter date he entered the 
employ of Rolfe Brothers, sash, blind, and box manufacturers, 
and remained there nearly five years, being foreman of the box 
department the greater part of that period. 

He became a member of the Fisherville cornet band in i860. 
On August 15, 1 86 1, with six of his associates, he enlisted in the 
band of the Third New Hampshire Volunteers for service in the 
Civil War. On his discharge, August 31, 1862, he again re- 
entered the employ of Rolfe Brothers, but closed his connection 
with them in December. During the year 1863 he had charge 
of the packing department of the flour mill. In Januar\', 1864, 
he was engaged by Caldwell and Amsden, then owners of the 
cabinet shop. He worked for this firm until April 10, 1866, 
being for the greater part of the time one of the shipping clerks. 
On the last date mentioned he entered into copartnership with 
Moses H. Bean, who was engaged in the mercantile business. 

A month later Henry F. Brown, one of his tent mates in the 
army, and a lifelong friend, bought out the interest of Mr. Bean, 



504 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

and under the firm name of Brown & Linehan the business was 
continued until Ma\', 1869, when lie purchased Mr. l^rown's 
interest in the firm, operating alone until he finally sold out in 
January, 1 89 1. He was located for nearly twent}^ }'ears in the 
Exchange block on Washington square. 

During his business career he acquired a reputation for honest}' 
and integrity not confined to Penacook. In religion he is a 
Catholic, and through life loyal to that faith. Like his father he 
has been a liberal contributor towards the support of his church, 
and for forty }'ears one of its most actix'e members in Penacook. 
For twent\'-five }'ears he was the superintendent of the Sunda}'- 
school connected with the Penacook parish. 

The best proof of the efficiency of his labors is the fact that 
while under his supervision not a Catholic child in Penacook was 
an absentee except in case of sickness from the Sunday-school. 

In 1867, at the urgent solicitation of Rev. J. E. Barry, whose 
pastorate included Penacook, he negotiated for the purchase of 
the building occupied for many years as a place of w^orship by 
the Methodists. To secure a note given for payment, he and 
John Thornton, another member of the congregation, mortgaged 
their homes to John L. Tallant, from whom the money was bor- 
rowed, as additional security, as he was unwilling to accept the 
mortgage on the church alone. When additional land was 
secured for Woodlawn cemetery, of which he was one of the 
trustees, he made an appeal to his associates to set aside a part 
of it for a cemetery for the Catholics of Penacook. Mis request 
was granted, and the land deeded to the bishop of the diocese in 
trust for the Catholic congregation in the \-illage. 

When Brown's band was organized in 1865, he was one of its 
first members, and during its existence, except the last year, was 
its secretary and treasurer. He was president of the P"ishcr\ille 
Lyceum Association, during the greater part of its existence. 
This was founded shortly after the war, and was the means of 
providing some of the best speaking talent in the United States 
for the people of the village. 

He has afifiliated with the Republican party since early man- 
hood, and has been honored by being elected or appointee^ to 
various positions of honor and trust within its gift. He filled 



HON. lOIIX C. LIXEIIAN. 



505 



nearly every office in ward one. He was a member of the common 
council in 1872-1873, and a member of the board of aldermen 
from 1877 to 1878. He was chosen a member of the executive 
council of the state of New Hampshire to scr\'e during the term 
of Gov. Charles H. Sawyer in 1887 and 1888. and during his 
term of office was chairman of the committee on state prison. 





HOX. JOIIX C. LiNKllAX. 



He was appointed trustee of the Industrial school b\- Gov. Samuel 
W. Hale in 1884, and except for a brief interval of a few months 
has served continually since. He was secretary of the board for 
several years, and since 1897 is its president. He was also one of 
the committee chosen to build the Penacook public ^chool, and 
one of the committee to select the location for the Concord sol- 
diers' monument, as well as to select its design and inscription. 



506 HISTORY OF rENACOOK. 

He was appointed insurance commissioner of New Hampshire 
for three years by Gov. David H. Goodell, on September 28. 
1890. He was reappointed in 1893 by Gov. John B. Smith, in 
1896 by Gov. Charles A. Busiel, and in 1899 by Gov. Frank W. 
Rolh'ns. His record as insurance commissioner is well known. 
He has been fearless and conscientious in the performance of his 
duties, and has received the commendation of his superiors, the 
governors and councils, as well as the people of the state. Cir- 
cumstances when he was first appointed obliged him to face a 
situation requiring courage as well as discretion. How well it 
was done the records of the insurance department, as well as the 
press of the state, will bear witness. 

He was one of the charter members of William I. Brown Post, 
G. A. R., and its first commander, filling the position over two 
years. He has alvva}'s taken an active interest in the welfare of 
his own post, and before its formation had been partly instrumen- 
tal in the formation of the Fisher\-ille Memorial Association, which 
was composed mainly of Brown's band and several public-spirited 
citizens, for the object of observing Memorial Day. With a few 
exceptions, he has been president of the day on Memorial days 
every year since the institution of the post. He was chosen to 
represent the Department of N. H., G. A. R., at the National 
Encampment in Albany in 1878, and a member of the National 
Council of Administration in 1880— 188 1. He was elected depart- 
ment commander of New Hampshire in 1883 and 1884, and 
appointed a member of the national pension committee, serving 
until 1887, when he was unanimously chosen junior vice com- 
mander-in-chief, G. A. R. He was president of the New Hamp- 
shire Veteran Association in 1885 and 1886, and from its institu- 
tion, with the exception of several }ears, its musical director. 

He is a trustee of the Loan and Trust Savings Bank of Concord, 
a member of the N. H. Historical Society, Knights of Columbus, 
Charitable Irish Society of l^oston, and the American-Irish His- 
torical Society. He is the treasurer and one of the founders of 
the latter. 

Although a bus\' man tlircnigh life, he has found time to study 
and occasionally write out his thoughts and observations. In 
conjunction with his lifelong friend and comrade, D. Arthur 




1i 



508 HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 

Brown, he wrote a memorial history of Penacook in the Civil 
War. The book contains a sketch of ev^ery person, so far as 
known, who served in that great contest from Penacook, and also 
of the comrades of William I. Brown Post who came to reside in 
Penacook or vicinity since the close of the war. He dictated the 
sketches to a stenographer, who copied them on the t\'pcwritcr. 
They were then written in the book by Mr. Brown, each person 
being given a page. E\'er}' soldier's and sailor's record corres- 
ponds with that printed in Ayling's record of New Hampshire in 
the Civil War. When completed the book was placed for preser- 
vation in the New Hampshire state librar\\ The tN'pewritten 
sheets Mr. Brown had bound in book form, for use in the post- 
room. 

He has been a steady contributor to weeklies and periodicals. 
He contributed a chapter, " The Irisli in New Hampshire," to 
McClintock's History of New Hampshire, also a chapter to the 
History of the First New Hampshire, on " The Irish of New 
Hampshire in the Civil War," and a chapter to the History of the 
Seventeenth New Hampshire, on " Music and Songs of the War." 

He has also written many sketches on the early Irish settlers in 
the thirteen colonies, which have been published in papers and 
magazines. P^or his services in this line he received a degree 
from Dartmouth college in 1887. He has also been in demand 
as a speaker and lecturer, and has spoken more or less during 
every political campaign since 1884. 

When the movement to mark the regimental positions on the 
Gettysburg battlefield was first mentioned in 1880 at the National 
Encampment, G. A. R., in I^a\-ton, O., he warmly advocated it. 
In 1885 he was appointed one of the directors of the Battlefield 
Association, holding that position mitil 1895 — ten years. The 
government then assumed charge of the field, and presented each 
of the retiring directors a beautifulh^ engraved testimonial for the 
services rendered. 

While serving on this board of directors he was largch' instru- 
mental in securing appropriations from the New Ilampshire state 
legislature for the placing of monuments marking the positions 
held by the New Hampshire organizations on that great battle- 
field. In response to the invitation of the surviving veterans of 



REV. ri.MOTIlV I'. LIXEHAN. 509 

the Second and Fifth New Hampshire regiments, and the New 
Hampshire BattaHon Sharpshooters, he accompanied them to 
Gettysburg in the summer of 1887, and received from them, on 
behalf of the directors, the monuments of the three organizations. 
By special request he also receiv^ed the monument of Meagher's 
Irish brigade", which was dedicated at the same time. 

As a recognition of his labors, his name is cut, with that of 
the other directors, on the high water mark monuments located 
near the historic copse of trees which was the objective point of 
Pickett's men in their celebrated charge on July 3, 1862. 

He was married to Mary E. Pendergast by the Rev. John 
O'Donnell, at the parochial residence in Nashua, on Januar\- 2, 
1864. 

Of the children born to them four survive, — Margaret Ann, 
born October 2, 1864; John Joseph, born October 9, 1866; 
Timothy Patrick, born December 7, 1869; Henry Frances, born 
June 27, 1877. 

REV. TIMOTIIV PATRICK LIXEHAN. 

Rev. Timothy Patrick Linehan was born in Macroom, County 
of Cork, Ireland, April 5, 1847, His parents were John Linehan 
and Margaret Foley Linehan. He came to the L'nited States 
with his mother, his brother John, and two sisters, in October, 
1849. He resided with his famil\^ in Danbur\', N. H., and in 
Penacook until 1869. While in Penacook, during bo\-hood, he 
was employed for a time in the cotton mill of H. H. & J. S. 
Brown. In 1863 he worked in the packing department of the 
flour mill for a }^ear with his brothers John and Andrew. Later 
he learned the machinist's trade in the shops of D. Arthur Brown 
& Co., remaining in the employ of that firm five years. In 1869 
he went to Fitchburg, Mass., where he worked a }'ear. Then he 
went to Worcester, where he was engaged in the same occupation 
another year. He was a painstaking mechanic, never failing to 
give satisfaction to those for whom he labored, being honest and 
conscientious in the performance of his duties. 

He was blessed with a genial, sociable disposition, which never 
failed to find him friends. While a resident of Penacook, in 1866 
and 1867, he was a member of a military company, composed 



10 



HISTORV OF PEXACOOK. ' I 



mainl}' of \-etcrans of the Civil War, known as the Smx'the Guards. 
He held the rank of corporal ; his brother John that of first lieu- 
tenant. He was also on the roll of Pioneer Engine company, 
No. 8, which in its day was one of the most eflficient organizations 
of its kind in the city of Concord. 

He acquired his rudimentary education in the public schools of 
Danbury and Penacook, and at the Penacook academy. His 
collegiate studies were made at St. Charles college, Maryland, 
founded by Charles Carroll of Revolutionary fame, and at Nicolet 
college, in the province of Quebec, Canada. In September, 
1875, he entered for the collegiate course the Grand seminary of 
Montreal, where he was graduated with a degree of Bachelor of 
Theology, and in the chapel of which institution he was ordained 
to the priesthood for the diocese .of Portland, Me., by Archbishop 
Fabre, December 21, 1878. Father Linehan was immediatelx' 
assigned to the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at Port- 
land, Me., where he remained until July, 1890. Besides his 
duties at the cathedral, he attended the missions of Westbrook, 
Gorham, Yarmouth, Fryeburg, North Conway, Saw\'er's River, 
and Upper Bartlett. He was for a time chancellor and secretar}' 
of the diocese, and in January, 1881, he was named b\^ the late 
Bishop Healey rector of the cathedral, which position he held to 
the time of his appointment to the church and parish of St. Mary's 
at Biddeford. 

As rector Father Linehan was charged not alone with the 
spiritual, but as well with the material, interests of the cathedral, 
the orphan asylum, St. Joseph's home, the school, and other 
institutions, some of which were founded during his incumbcnc)'. 
On the occasion of his departure from Portland he was presented 
with an address and a purse of $1,200, in recognition of his ser- 
vices and of the esteem entertained for him. 

Father Linehan has been ten years in Biddeford ; within that 
time he has greatly improved the parish property. St. Mar}-'s 
church has been renovated, the presbytery has been completed, 
a house has been remodeled and furnished for a convent, a mag- 
nificent school building in brick and stone, one of the finest and 
best equipped in the diocese, has been erected, and is occupied 
by nearly three hundred and fift)- bo)-s and girls, who are taught 



REV. TIMOTHY P. LINEIIAN. 



511 



by the Sisters of Mere}- ; some sixteen acres have been added to 
the parish ccmeter}-, and at Old Orchard, on a most ehgible and 
spacious site, stands the beautiful summer church, "St. Margaret's- 
by-the-Sea," where thousands of devout Catholics from every state 
in the Union and the Canadas worship in " the pleasant summer 
days," and doubtless make pious remembrance of her whose 




Rev. Timothy P. Linehan. 



namesake and patron Margaret was. (He named the church in 
memor)' of his mother.) 

Father Linehan is a public-spirited man. He takes an active 
interest in everything pertaining to the public welfare, with the 
result that he stands high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens 
in Biddeford, regardless of creed or nationalit}*. 

He is connected with the Irish-American Relief Association of 
Portland, and a member of the American-Irish Historical Society. 



512 



IIISTORV OF TENACOOK. 



He is chaplain of the York county di\'ision of the Ancient Order 
of Hibernians and of the local council of the Knights of Colum- 
bus. He is diocesan attorney, vice-president of St. Elizabeth 
orphan asylum ; is on the board of trustees of the Clergy Relief 
Fund, the examiners of the clergy, and the school board. 

He is in the prime of life as well as in the best of health, and 
takes a keen, though unobtrusive, interest in state and national 
affairs and in all that concerns the community in which he lives. 




SiSTKK M. JOSKI'H. 

MAR(;ARET ANN I.IXKFIAN. 

Margaret Ann Linehan,* the first born of John C. and Mary E. 
Linehan, was born in Penacook on October 2, 1864. She was 
educated in the Penacook schools, the Penacook academx', and 
*In religion .Sister M. Joseph. 



f 



lOllN 



I.l.XKIIAN. 



513 



in St. Joseph's academy, Deering, Me. She entered the order of 
Sisters of Mercy, in icS85, in the Convent of Merc\', Portland, 
Me., assuming in rehgion the name of " Sister M. Joseph." For 
the greater part of the time since the completion of her novitiate 
she has been engaged in teaching in the academy and in the paro- 
chial schools of Portland. 




J«UI.\ |. LiNEHAN. 



lOIIX 



I.IXKIIAX. 



John J. Linehan, eldest son of John C. and Mary (Pendergast) 
Linehan, was born in Penacook, October 9, 1866. He was edu- 
cated in the public schools of Penacook and of Concord. After 
the conclusion of his studies in the High school he went to Min- 
neapolis, Minn., in March, 1885. Here, shortly after his arrival, 
he entered the employ of the dry goods jobbing house of Dale, Morse 



514 HISTORY OF I'EXACOOK. 

& Barnes. On January i, 1887, he severed his connection with 
this firm, and returning to the East engaged his services with the 
jobbing house of Brown, Durrell & Co., Boston, Mass. He was 
connected with this firm for eight years as department buyer, being 
one of the largest, if not tlie largest, handlers of corsets, in the 
United States. 

He resigned his position with Brown, Durrell & Co., and later 
purchased an interest in the Bay State Corset Company of Spring- 
field, Mass., and was elected a director of the corporation. In the 
early part of 1 900, he was chosen secretary of the company. He was 
married in August, 1893, to Elizabeth J. l^arrett, the daughter of 
Thomas Barrett of Worcester, Mass., one of that city's most prom- 
inent citizens, as well as one of the best known and most reputable 
building contractors in New England. 

TIIMOTIIV PATRICK LINEIIAX. 

Timothy Patrick Linehan, son of John C. and Mar\- E. Einehan, 
was born in Penacook on December 7, 1869. He was educated 
in the Penacook public schools, the Penacook academy, and the 
Concord High school. 

After leaving school he worked as clerk in his father's store in 
Penacook. Later, in 1893, he was clerk in the Windsor hotel at 
Manchester. 

lu 1895 he entered the employ of P^owle & Johnson, proprie- 
tors of the Wolfe tavern, Newbur\'port. 

He was married on January 22, 1900, to Mary Cunningham of 
Amesbur)', Mass., by his uncle. Rev. T. P. Linehan, of Biddeford, 
Me. 

He has made a success of his chosen occupation, and is very 
popular with the patrons of the house, especially so with the 
knights of the road, the traveling men. 

HENRY FRANCES IJNEIIAN. 

Henry Frances Linehan, son of John C. and Mary E. Linehan, 
was born in Penacook on June 27, 1877. He received his educa- 
tion in the public .schools of Penacook and the parochial schools 
of Concord. 



I 



ISAAC ]. TETRAULT 



515 




Isaac J. Tktkault. 



ISAAC J. TETRAULT, 

dealer in meats and provisions, has carried on his present 
enterprise since August 21, 1894, and during that period has 
been successful in building up a trade that will compare favora- 
bly with any market in town. 

Mr. Tetreault was born in North Stukley, Quebec, Canada, in 
1855, and began his business career at the age of twent)'-four 
years. He moved to Massachusetts in 1876, and began buying 
and dressing cattle, running a delivery cart to deliver to his many 
customers from the farm where he raised a good share of the 
stock. He was successful financially, and soon became known as 
one of the leading traders in that part of the country. 

He has always kept the best meats, oysters, fish, and x'egeta- 
bles in their season that can be procured, and these are always 
varied and tempting. His prices are invariably low, and every 
caller is assured of careful attention. 



5i6 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



WILLIAM r. CHANDLER (SECOND). 

William Palmer Chandler, son of Nathan and Lovisa Webster 
(Ferrin) Chandler, great-grandson of John Chandler, who built 
the old hotel, and descendant, in the tenth generation, from Will- 
iam Chandler, who came from England and settled at Roxbury, 
Mass., in 1637, was born at Penacook, in the old Chandler house 




I 



WU.LIA.M 1'. CUANDLICK. 

now occupied b)' K. L. Davis, on November 20, 1849, ^"<^^ 'i^ 
has always resided in the village of his birth, lie attended school 
in district No. 20, and later on continued his schooling at Pena- 
cook and at Pembroke academics. 

On completion of his school days, Mr. Chandler learned the 
carpenter's trade, and has continued in that occupation until the 
present time. He has built a very large number of the houses 



DR. ADRIAN C. lloVT. 517 

and shops in Penacook and neighboring towns, and is skilful and 
competent in all department of his business. 

His own homestead is located on Winter street, and his family 
consists of his wife, Alice Fessenden, daughter of Jeremiah and 
Azelia M. (Foye) Boyce, to whom he was married November 25, 
1875, and one daughter, Florence, who is a teacher in the graded 
schools of district No. 20. Among the cherished relics of the 
Chandler family Mr. Chandler has a valuable sword and belt, 
formerly worn by his uncle. Col. William P. Chandler, who was 
the commander of the Thirty-fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, 
during the Civil War. This sword was presented to Colonel 
Chandler by the Soldiers' Friend society of Danville, 111., in 
acknowledgment of his distinghished services, he having partici- 
pated in thirteen battles. 

Mr. Chandler afifiliatcs with the Congregationalists in religious 
interests, and is a member of the Republican part)- in politics ; 
also is a member of Horace Chase lodge of Masons, and of Con- 
toocook lodge of Odd Fellows. 

ADRIAN II. IIOVT, M. D. 

Dr. Adrian Hazen Ho}'t, son of Joseph and Susan M. (Currier) 
Ho}'t, was born at Magog, Canada, March 7, 1862. He obtained 
his education at Montreal, Canada, and at Hanover, N. H. 

He graduated from the medical department of Dartmouth col- 
lege with the degree of M. D. in 1887. Instead of taking up the 
practice of the medical profession. Dr. Hoyt became interested in 
electrical experiments immediately after leaving college. He soon 
located at Manchester, N. H., and became the electrician of the 
Whitney Electrical Instrument Co., and general manager of the 
business. 

Dr. Hoyt made earl}- improvements and inventions in the line 
of electrical appliances, for which he obtained patents, and the 
manufacture of his patented electrical instruments constituted the 
business of the Whitney Electrical Instrument Co. This business, 
in Dr. Hoyt's hands, increased in volume rapidl\-, so that he soon 
felt the need of a larger factor}-, and in 1892 he made arrange- 
ments with Hon. C. H. Amsden to occupy the new factor}- at the 
Borough, which had just been built for his accommodation. 



i8 



HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. 



Dr. Hoyt became a citizen of Penacook in the fall of 1892, and 
has since occupied a prominent position in the business and social 
interests of the village. He has become an acknowledged author- 
ity on all electrical matters, and has been called to lecture before 
schools and societies on the X-ra}' phenomena, illustrated by ap- 
paratus of his own manufacture. 



^ 

™ 




Dk. Adrian II. Hovt. 

Dr. Hoyt has taken great interest in Masonic societies since 
coming to Penacook, having been an officer of Horace Chase 
lodge, F. & A. M., also a member of Trinity chapter, R. A. M., 
and Mt. Horeb commandery of Knights Templar. He is also a 
member of Contoocook lodge, I. O. (). l'\, and of the Knights of 
Pythias, and was a charter member of the Union club. His re- 
liLrious affdiations arc with the Methodist denomination. 



ROHERT L. HARRIS. 



19 



Dr. Hoyt was married on June 13, 1887, to Lizzie C. Shedrick, 
and has one son, Wallace C. Hoyt, born October 15, 1888. 

ROI'.ERT L. HARRIS. 

Robert Lincoln Harris, son of lizva. Sheldon and Cassandra A. 
(Green) Harris, was born at Penacook on May 3, 1865, and has 





KoiiicRT L. Harris. 

resided in the \illage to the present da}'. His earl)' education was 
obtained at the village schools, and later at the Massachusetts In- 
stitute of Technology at Boston. From boyhood Mr. Harris has 
been interested in the manufacture of woolen goods at the factory 
built by his grandfather, Dea. Almon Harris, and subsequently 
operated by his father ; and is one of the third generation engaged 
in the same business at the same place; This fact is abundant 



520 lIIsroRV OF PF.XACOOK. 

proof that this family have not only known the art of manufactur- 
ing woolen goods, but have possessed the business ability to con- 
duct this enterprise succcssfull}-. After the death of his father, 
the manufacturing business was incorporated under the name of 
the Dustin Island Woolen Mills, the stockholders being the heirs of 
I'^zra Sheldon Harris, and Mr. Harris, the oldest son, assumed the 
responsible position of superintendent. Under his management 
extensive improvements have been made b}- discarding old machin- 
er\' and substituting machinery of the latest and most effective type. 

Mr. Harris has become prominent in Masonic affairs, being a 
member of Horace Chase lodge. No. 72, F. & A. M., of Pena- 
cook, Trinity chapter, Horace Chase council, and Mt. Horeb 
commandery of Knights Templar at Concord ; also of the lid- 
ward A. Ra}'mond consistory at Nashua, in which he has attained 
to the 32d degree of Masonry. He is a past grand of Contoo- 
cook lodge of Odd Fellows ; also master of the grange ; and 
was a charter member of the Union club. 

Mr. Harris is an attendant at the Congregational church, and in 
politics is an earnest Rcptiblican. He is unmarried. 

ALMOX C. HARRIS. 

Almon Green Harris, the youngest son of Ezra Sheldon and 
Sarah A. (Green) Harris, was born at Penacook, N. H., 
January 24, 1870, and has always resided in that village. He 
first attended the district school, then Penacook acadenn-, 
Concord High school, and lastl\' Comer's Commercial college at 
Boston, where he acquired a thorough business education. 
When his school days were completed he, like his older brother, 
went into his father's mill, and began learning that business, as 
liis father and grandfather had done before, but gi\'ing most of 
his attention to ofifice work. 

After his father's death he with the other heirs organized the 
corporation known as the Dustin Islantl Woolen Mills, of which 
he became the treasurer, and has managed the financial and office 
departments to the present time. 

Mr. Harris is still unmarried, and has devoted his time to 
business and public affairs. He has served for several years on 
the board of selectmen for the town of Boscawen, and in other 



AI.MOX c;. HARRIS. 



121 



public interests. In Masonry Mr. Harris has attained to the 
thirty-second degree, being a member of Horace Chase lodge, 
and is worshipful master at the present time, 1901 ; a member of 
Trinity chapter of Horace Chase council, and of Mt. Horcb 
commandery, Knights Templar, at Concord, also of the hkhvard 
A. Ra)'mond consistor)' at Nashua. 




Almox G. Harris. 



Mr. Harris was a charter member of the Union club. He is 
also a prominent member of the Grange, and in religious matters 
he affiliates with the Congregationalists. 

Among his other gifts Mr. Harris possesses an exceptionall)' 
fine base voice, much of the same quality as that of his father, 
and has sung with (]uartcttcs and choirs since bo}-hood. 



522 HlsroKV OF I'ENACOOK. 

HON. JOHN KIMBALL. 

One of the most distinguished men who ever hved within the 
limits of the village of Penacook is Hon. John Kimball of Con- 
cord, son of Benjamin and Ruth (Ames) Kimball, born at Can- 
terbury, April 13, 1 82 I. He came to Penacook with his father's 
family in 1830, and resided in the Plummer house, next east of 
the old hotel. He attended the town schools on the Boscawen 
side, and in 1837 at the Concord academy. He was apprenticed 
as a machinist to Col. Wm. Moody Kimball in 1838, and after 
completing his term was employed in building machinery at Bos- 
cawen, Suncook, Manchester, Lowell, and Lawrence. 

In 1848 he took charge of the new machine and car shops of 
the Concord Railroad, and became master mechanic in 1850, con- 
tinuing there until 1858, at which date he left mechanical life and 
devoted his attention to public affairs. He had previousl}', in 
1856 and 1857, been a member of the city council, and in 1858 
was elected to the state legislature; reelected in 1859, he served 
as chairman of the committee on the state prison. He next 
became cit\' marshal and tax collector for the cit}' of Concord, 
holding that position until 1862, when he was appointed by 
President Lincoln as collector of internal revenue for the second 
district of New Hampshire. He served in that responsible posi- 
tion seven years, and collected some seven million of dollars, 
establishing a high reputation for efficiency and integritw In 
1870 Mr. Kimball was prominent in the organization of the Mer- 
rimack County Savings bank, and was elected treasurer, which 
position he has held to the present date (1901), and managed 
the business of that institution most successfully. 

Mr. Kimball served his city as mayor in 1 872-1 873-1 874-1 875, 
and during his term constructed more public works than any 
other mayor of Concord, including five bridges, the Central fire 
station, the Long Pond water-works, the sewer system, school- 
iiouses, extension of Blossom Hill cemetery, etc. 

In 1877 Mr. Kimball was called on by Governor Prescott to 
serve as chairman of the board of commissioners to build the new 
state prison ; this work he did in a most satisfactory manner, and 
at a cost within the appr()})riati()n of >'{^23 5,000. He was a mem- 
ber of the constitutional coin-ention of 1876, and chairman of its 



IKJN. JOHN KIMBALL. 



523 



committee on finance. Chosen a state senator in 1880, and 
president of that body, he discharged the duties of that high 
office with credit to himself and honor to his state. 

Mr. Kimball has served as treasvu'er, for long terms, of the 
Republican party of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Bible 
society, the New Hampshire Orphans' home, and other societies, 




Hon. John Kimi5.a.ll. 



president of the Home for the Aged, and many other positions of 
honor. Mr. Kimball is emphatically one of the great men of 
New Hampshire, both mentally and physically, but has never 
lost interest in his early home at Penacook, where the citizens 
are reminded of his generosity by the sweet tone of the bell on 
the Congregational church, which was a gift from Mr. Kimball 
and his brother Benjamin. 



524 HISrORV OF rENACOOK. 

Mr. Kimball joined the Congregational church at Boscawen in 
1843, and has continued a member of that denomination to the 
present time; having been for man\' years one of the leading 
members of the South Congregational church at Concord. 

Mr. Kimball was married May 27, 1846, to Maria H. Phillips 
of Rupert, Vt., and has one daughter, Mrs. Clara Maria Ayers, 
wife of Augustine R. Ayers, a veteran of the Fifteenth Regi- 
ment, New Hampshire Volunteers. His first wife died December 
24, 1894. Mr. Kimball was again married October 15, 1895, to 
Charlotte, daughter of Hon. Daniel C. Atkinson of Sanbornton. 

OLI\ER J. FIKIKI.I). 

Oliver John Fifield was born June 25, 1855, at h^'anconia, 
N. H. While quite x'oung his parents moved to Lowell, Mass., 
and a few years later, after his father's death, which occurred at 
Valparaiso, South America, he with his mother returned to 
Franconia. 

His father was John G. h'ifield of New Hampton, a contractor 
and builder. His mother was Mary Sargent Knapp ; her father's 
people were among the first settlers of Franconia, coming from 
Sturbridge, Mass. 

Mr. Fifield received his education in the public schools of 
Franconia, and at the New Hampton Institute. He came to 
Penacook in 1872, and commenced work for John A. Coburn 
September i of that year, continuing with him for seven years, 
when having thoroughly mastered the harness maker's trade, he 
bought out the business of his employer, and began business on 
his own account. Having conducted that business successfull)' 
for eight years, he then bought out the undertaking business of 
John A. Coburn, thus atlding another branch to his business. 
He then formed a partnership with his cousin, Guv H. Hubbard, 
to carry on the new branch of the business; continuing the har- 
ness business in his own name until January 1, 1892, when he 
sold out that part of the business to William V . lloyt. On De- 
cember I, 1892, Mr. h'ifield purchased the Washington House 
livery stable of Harr)- Harris, but in October of 1893 he sold that 
property to F. B. Morse of Haverhill, N. H. During the fol- 
lowing five years Mr. Fifield had but little business in hand 



OLIVER 



KI FIELD. 



5-^5 



except his undertaking business, but in April, 1898, he again 
purchased the stable at the Washington House, and engaged in 
the livery and hacking business, which he still conducts in 1901, 
as well as his partnership business with Mr. Hubbard. 

Mr, Fifield's good business judgment has caused him to be 
elected as assessor for ward one during the i)ast four years, and for 




Oi.i\i;k J. Fn-ii:i.i) 



the coming two years also. He is a charter member of Myrtle 
lodge, Knights of Pythias, in which organization he holds the 
office of chancellor of exchequer. In politics Mr. Fifield affiliates 
with the Republican party. He is a member of the First Baptist 
church, and a trustee of the same. 

In May, 1876, Mr. Fifield was married to Miss I":stelle Phil- 
brick of Lowell, Mass. h\nn- children have been born to them, 



526 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

three of whom are living in 1901. Their homestead is pleasantly 
located on Washington street, where he has considerable other 
property, and a large tract of land is that vicinity. 

CAIT. HENRY H. AYER. 

Henry Harrison Ayer was born in Saratoga, N. Y., on March 
4, 1 8 19. His opportunities for obtaining an education were 
quite limited during his youth, but being ambitious and perse- 
vering he later acquired a good education, so that he was well 
prepared to do business or take command of men. He came to 
Penacook in 1847, ^"^ ^^^s then a military man of some experi- 
ence, having been in the United States service during the Mexi- 
can war. 

He was first employed in the furniture shop^of B. F. Caldwell, 
and soon after went into business for himself in the manufacture 
of table and bed castors, his shop being in the basement of the 
long wooden shop on Commercial street, where the stone polish- 
ing shop is now located. He resided with his famil}- on Tremont 
street. 

When he first came to Penacook he was connected with the 
state militia, serving as ensign and second lieutenant of the First 
company of Eleventh regiment, and later as drill master of the 
Third brigade with rank of major, a position for which he was 
well qualified b\' character and disposition. He was " every inch 
a soldier," tall, erect, vigorous, and decisive in all his actions, 
with ample knowledge of the military code, painstaking and per- 
sistent, and, with the air of one born to command, he made an 
ideal drill master. 

When the War of the Rebellion broke out Captain A}'er real- 
ized that his ser\ices were needed, and early decided to give his 
life if needed to save the Union. He immediately recruited a 
number of men in the village, took them to Concord, and with 
them joined the Third Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, 
which was then just forming. He was commissioned as first 
lieutenant of Company H, and rendered efficient service in getting 
the regiment into military form. He was jiromoted to captain 
October 16, 1862. The men under his command were at first 
disposed to find fault because of the rigor of his discipline, but 



CArT. HENRY II. AVER. 



527 



later, when they came into active service, they reahzed the great 
benefit of his strict military drill and discipline. They learned to 
respect and admire Captain Ayer not only for his military knowl- 
edge, but for his character and habits, and his justice in the treat- 
ment of all under his command, as well as for his courage and 
fortitude in battle. So that after one year's service the men of 
his company purchased a very valuable sword and presented it to 
him as a token of their esteem and affection. 




Captain Ayer was twice wounded before being mortall)' 
wounded, first on July 18. 1863, at the charge on Fort Wagner, 
on Morris Island, S. C, slightly, and again on August 26, follow- 
ing, at the same fort, he was shot through the neck b\- a rebel 
sharpshooter, and thought to have been killed, and it was strange 
why it did not kill him instantl}'. He was carried to the Regi- 
mental hospital where he remained onl}' eight days, and then 
returned to his compaii}-. Shortl\' after this (September 19) he 
went home on " leave of absence," but returned to the regiment 
again November 9, 1863. 

Captain Ayer received his mortal wound at the battle of Drewry's 



528 HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. »f 

Bluff, V^a., on March i6, 1864, being shot in the thigh, and died in 
one hour after receiving the wound. His body was buried and the 
grave marked under direction of the reginicntal surgeon, A. J. H. 
Buzzell. At a later date the body of Captain Ayer was exhumed 
and brought North, and buried in Woodlawn cemetery at Pena- 
cook. This service was performed by George Murdough, Com- 
pany H, of Manchester, who was a nurse in the Third Regiment 
hospital. 

None of Captain Aycr's famil)' resides at Penacook, but two 
daughters are still living at Boston, Mass. 1 

S(^UIRE FARRAXD. f 

One of the most prominent of the English families residing in 
Penacook is the P'arrand famil}\ The head of the family was 
Squire Farrand, the seventh child of Edmund aud Hannah 
(Knight) Farrand, who was born in the village of Saddleworth, 
County of York, England, on May 24, 1812. He began work- 
ing in a cotton mill in 18 19. Like most boys of his time, he had 
only a limited time for schooling, but having a very strong desire 
to gain an education, after working twelve hours a day, he 
attended evening schools, and being of a studious disposition he 
soon acquired the rudiments of an education. His father dying 
when Squire was fourteen years old, his mother then removed her 
family to Dukcnficld, Cheshire count}'. At the age of twcnt}-- 
threc years Mr. Farrand married Mary Goldthorp of Peniston, 
York count3^ who pro\cd to be a true helpmate, and bore him 
thirteen children. They also adopted a bo)- and a girl, making 
in all a family of seven boys and eight girls. 

When the Civil War in America began, the cotton trade in 
l^ngland was completel)' paralyzed ; no work for the opera- 
tives could be obtained, as the mills were unable to procure cot- 
ton, because of the blockade of the Southern ports. Thousands 
of families then migrated to differents parts of the world. Mr. 
T'arrand had two brothers then in New Hampshire; James in 
Penacook, and John C. in Milton Mills, with whom he corre- 
sponded, with the result that his oldest son, William, and oldest 
daughter, Sarah, came to Penacook in 1864; ami the remainder 
of the family arrixed on Jul>- ji, 1865. Mr. I-'arrand and most 



SQUIRE FARRAND. 529 

of his children were employed for many years in the cotton mills 
of H. H. and J. S. Brown. They were all industrious and thrifty, 
and soon became excellent American citizens. 

Mr. Farrand was baptized in the Episcopal church when a 
child, and continued in that faith during his life. 

In early life he joined the Odd Fellows, and was a member of 




Squikic F.akk.vnd. 

that organization for more than fift\- }'ears. His wife died in 
1877, aged fift\'-nine years. Squire Farrand died in 1899, aged 
eighty-seven years, and both were buried in Woodlawn cemetery. 
During the last ten or fifteen years of his life Squire Farrand was 
one of the most familiar figures seen on the streets of Penacook. 
He spent much time in walking, and retained apparent!}' good 
health until the last yeav of his life. 



530 HISTORY OF I'EXACOOK. 

Five of his sons remain in Pcnacook : William, the oldest, 
James, and Thomas, who are employed at the Concord Axle 
Works; and John C. and George E., who are prominent mer- 
chants ; all being men of excellent character as well as substan- 
tial citizens. 

OEORC.E S. LOCKE. 

George Seldon Locke, the noted saw manufacturer, was born 
at Concord, N. H., June i8, 1852. His father was the late E. T. 
Locke, formerl}- of Loudon, N. H., and his mother, H. J. (Allen) 
Locke, formerly of Cabot, Vt. His education was obtained in 
the common schools. The family came to Penacook while 
George was quite young, and when but fifteen }'ears of age he 
entered the employ of Gage, Porter & Co., and has never been 
out of the saw business to the present date. 

The difificult part of the saw maker's trade is " saw smithing;" 
that part is not easil}' learned, it requires long }'ears of practice, 
a good mechanical eye. good judgment, stead}' nerve, and strong, 
muscular arms. Mr. Locke had the natural requirements for that 
trade, and the ambition and sta}'ing power to learn that difficult 
trade thoroughly. After that was accomplished, his course was 
comparatively plain sailing. 

In 1882, having been in the employ of Gage, Porter & Co. for 
fifteen )-ears, he with J. E. Marden bought out the old firm and 
started in business under the style of Fisherville Saw Co. Five 
years later Mr. Marden retired from the business, and Mr. Locke 
has since conducted the business alone in a successful manner, 
and has accumulated considerable property. 

Mr. Locke has a taste for music; he joined Brown's band earl}' 
in the term of that celebrated organization, and remained a mem- 
ber as long as the band was in existence. Since that band dis- 
solved he has played more or less in other organizations in the 
village, and occasionally with the band at Concord. 

Mr. Locke is well advanced in Masonry, being a member of 
Horace Chase lodge. No. 72, of Penacook, Trinity Royal Arch 
chapter, No. 2. Horace Chase council, No. 4, and Mt. Horeb 
commandery, Knights Templar, of Concord. 

Mr. Locke was married in June, 1874, to Miss M. Anna Pres- 



FARWELL V. 1 1 OLDEN. 



531 




George S. Locke. 



cott, a sister of r^duartl B., Leandcr C, and Lester W. Prescott 
of Penacook. He has no children, but has two sisters, Mrs. 
John M. Hill and Mrs. Wni. II. Bonney, both of Penacook. 

The family residence is pleasantl}' situated on Merrimack 
street. 

FARWELL V. HOLDEN. 

Farwell Puffer Holden, president of the Concord Manufactur- 
ing company, and one of the prominent citizens of Penacook, was 
born in Dracut, Mass., June 21, 1845. His parents were Daniel 
Holden and Roxanna (Haynes) Holden, and his boyhood was 
mostly spent at the West Concord home. In that \illage he 
attended the district schools, and later on attended the Boscawen 
academy. In his early years he served a good apprenticeship in 



532 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



the woolen mill of his father, and when twenty-four years of age 
he went to Gaysville, Vt., and became clerk for Thomas Green- 
banks, a woolen manufacturer of that place. He remained in 
that situation six years, and then moved to Bethel, Vt., where he 
secured the position of cashier in the National White River bank. 
After discharging the duties of that position successfully for 




Fak\vi:i.i. r. II()i.I)i;n. 



six years he resigned, and moved back to Gaysville, where he 
engaged in the manufacture of underwear on his own account. 

He continued manufacturing at Ga}'sville for ten \'ears, and 
established a reputation for making superior goods. When the 
Holdcn f.uiiily decided to commence operations at Penacook, 
Farwell closed up his business in Vermont, and moved to Pena- 
cook, where he took an acti\'e j^art in the buikling of the factorx' 



JOHN C. FARRANl). 533 

and establishincnt of the manufacturing business, taking also an 
active interest in all the public affairs of the village. He has 
recently purchased the John Sawyer homestead, and refitted it for 
his family residence. 

Mr. Holden has been twice married; first, on October 25, 1870, 
to Miss Laura Greenbanks, by whom he had one son, Lawrence 
Grcenbanks Holden, born January 21, 1872. Mrs. Holden died 
January 24, 1872, and Mr. Holden's second marriage was on 
March 5, 1874, to Miss Sarah Frances Tupper, b)' whom he also 
had one son, Royal Daniel Holden, born November 5, 1880. 

Mr. Holden is prominent in Masonry, being a member of Hor- 
ace Chase lodge at Penacook, and has taken the chapter, council, 
and Knights Templar degrees at Concord. He is also a member 
of the Knights of P}'thias. He was an original member and first 
president of the Union club. In politics Mr. Holden (like his 
father) is an earnest Republican. In religion he is of the Uni- 
versalist faith, but with his famil\' attends the services at the Con- 
gregational church. 

JOHN C. FARRAND. 

One of the most enterprising of the village merchants, and one 
of the largest owners of real estate in the community, is John C. 
Farrand, son of Squire and Mar\' (Goldthorp) Farrand, who 
was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire count^^ England, on May 18, 
1848. 

He received his education in the public schools of his nati\'c 
town, where he resided until se\enteen }'ears of age, when he 
came with his parents to America, arriving at Penacook Juh' 31, 
1865. 

For the first twcntx- \x'ars of his re^.idence in Penacook he was 
employed in the Penacook mill, which was then operated b}' 
H. H. and J. S. Brown. After graduation from the cotton mill 
he took up life insurance business for a few months, and next 
went to the Dustin Island Woolen mills, where he was employed 
for one )-ear. Mr. P^arrand then went into trade as the manager 
of the Cooperative Association store, retaining that position for 
five years. In 1891 he began business on his own account as a 
retail merchant, at Washington square, where he has continued 



534 



IIISTORV OF PEXACOOK. 



to the present date, having enhirged his business to a considera- 
ble extent during the ten years past. He is also the senior mem- 
ber of the firm of J. C. & G. E. Farrand, dealers in wood and 
coal, who are doing an extensive business. 

Mr. Farrand is prominent in Knights of P}'thias affairs, being a 
past chancellor of that order, and lecturer in the Grange. 




John C. Kakkand. 

He served as ward clerk for one term, being appointed by the 
city government. He was also a member of the board of educa- 
tion of district No. 20 for si.x }'ears. 

When a young man in l^ngland he was a member of the 
Twenty-third Regiment of Sharpshooters, a volunteer organiza- 
tion. Mr. Farrand is a prominent member of the Episcopal 
church, and in politics affiliates with the Democratic party. 



GEORGE S. MORRILL. 535 

His homestead is on Cross street, and he owns some four or 
five other houses in the villa<;"e, as well as the large building 
known as Eagle block, and the adjoining block built by the late 
Dr. Little. 

Mr. Farrand has been twice married; first on August 25, 1873, 
at Dukinfield, Eng., to Miss Jane Garsidc, a native of that town, 
by whom he had one daughter, Mary Goldthorp, born October 
26, 1875. Mrs. Farrand died April 21, 1876, and the daughter 
died November 2, 1880; both are interred in Woodlawn ceme- 
tery. On the 20th of August, 1878, Mr. Farrand was again 
married, at Penacook, to Miss Sarah E. Jones, who was also 
a native of Dukinfield, Eng., and is still living, but has no chil- 
dren. 

GE0RC;E S. MORRILL. 

Among the men born within the village limits, there are but 
few who to-day occupy so responsible a position as that held by 
George Sullivan Morrill, who was born in the small cottage just 
east of the Washington House stable, on March 28, 1843. His 
parents were Asa Hall and Naomi Farnum (Chandler) Morrill, 
and his grandfather was John Morrill of Warner, N. H. His 
father was born in Hopkinton, and lived during his minority at 
West Concord ; he came to Penacook at the age of twenty-one 
years, and was employed several years in teaming for H. H. and 
J. S. Brown, the Rolfe's, and others. His mother was a member 
of the old Chandler famil\-, being a sister of the late Nathan 
Chandler, whose homestead is now occupied b}' E. L. Davis. 

George attended the village schools in district No. 20, and the 
high schools of D. B. Whittier, and others, where he showed 
great proficiencx' in mathematics. After leaving school he took 
up carpenter work, and while still a very young man erected 
several buildings in the village, one of which was the large barn 
at the Isaac K. Gage homestead. 

At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Morrill went to San Fran- 
cisco, Cal., and worked there at the carpenter trade during the 
years 1864 and 1865. Returning to New Hampshire he spent 
the next two years at Penacook, employing his time in carpenter 
work and surveying. In 1868 he again went to the Pacific coast, 



536 



HIS TORY OF I'KXACOOK. 



and located at San Diego, where he was engaged in .sur\'e)'ing 
town sites for some two years. He was at Penacook in 1870, 
and in that summer did his first raih'oad work, when in compan\' 
with the late Charles Carleton Cofifin, he surveyed a line for a 
railroad from Mast Yard to Andover, N. H. This work opened 
the way to a situation in the engineering department of the Old 




Gkokgk S. Mokkii.i.. 

Colony Railroad Co., at Boston, where he began what pro\-ed to 
be his life-work, and where he still remains in actix'e service. 

From 1870 to 1882 Mr. Morrill was emplo}-ed as a ci\il engi- 
neer on construction and general work for the road, and at the 
latter date, after the death of E. N. Winslow, he was appointed to 
the position of chief engineer. He remained as chief of the 
department on the Old Colony Railroad until 1 895, when that 



GEORGE S. MORRILL. 537 

road was leased to the N. Y., N. H., and H. Railroad Co., then 
his official title was changed to division engineer, but his duties 
and responsibilities remained as before. 

Some of the work accomplished by Mr. Morrill has been the 
building of several branch lines on the Old Colony system; build- 
ing all of the second track of that road, some one hundred and 
fifty miles; replacing over one hundred wooden bridges with 
modern iron or steel structures; also building a large number of 
new station houses to replace the older buildings. The vast 
amount of work successful!)- done by Mr. Morrill shows great 
skill in his profession, as well as excellent executive ability. 

Notwithstanding the cares and labors of his position, he has 
still found time to travel quite extensively, ha\iug been in nearly 
e\'er\' state and territor\' of the Union, and in Canada and 
Mexico. He has made three trips abroad, and visited England, 
France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria, Servia, Bulgaria, 
Turkey, Greece, and Spain. 

Mr. Morrill was married to Miss Clara Ann Moody at Pena- 
cook, November 13, 1867, by whom he has two sons, Asa Hall 
Morrill, who is now assistant roadmaster of the Midland division 
of the N. Y., N. U., & 11. Railroad, extending from Boston to 
VVillimantic, Conn., and Harle\' Winslow Morrill, who is em- 
ploj'ed as engineer for tlie Ludlow Manufacturing Co., at Ludlow, 
Mass. 

Mrs. Morrill is connected with the Rolfe famih'; her father was 
Dea. Joseph Moody, whose sister, Mary Jane Moody, was the wife 
of Capt. Nathaniel Rolfe. Mrs. Morrill is an extensive traveler 
also, ha\ing made seven trips to California, several trips to 
Canada, and has visited luirope, Mexico, and the Sandwich 
Islands. 

Boston has been their residence for thirt}' }'cars, but Mr. 
Morrill still owns the famil}' luMiiestead at Pcnacook, which is 
occupied by J. Irving Ho}'t. This homestead was built by Miss 
Rebecca Rolfe, who resided in the family of Asa H. Morrill, and 
was by her willed to him. The Morrills are still frequent visitors 
at the village, and keep up their interest in its prosperity. Mr. 
Morrill is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 
also a member of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers. 



538 



IIISTORV OF rKXACOOK. 



His father, Asa H. Morrill, died on March 24, 1877, aged 
sixty-three years; and his mother died on October 13, 1891, 
aged eighty-two }'ears ; both were buried in W'oodlawn cemetery. 



|()II\ MCLAUCEII-IN. 



One of the oldest of the Irish citizens of Pcnacook was John 
McLaughlin, or " Uncle John," as he was generall\- called. He 




JOIl.N .McLAl'(.liI.l.\. 

was born in Ireland in i<Si2,an(l riMnaincd there until fifty-five 
years of age ; being there married and raising a large family of 
children, whom he brought to America in 1867. He came 
directly to Pcnacook, and for man)' }-cars the family resided on 
Crescent street near the Concord Axle Works, and later on Mer- 
rimack avenue. His oldest son, Michael, was employed some 



IIEALEV MORSE. 539 

ten years at the axle shops, afterwards removing with his family 
to Manchester where he still resides. 

Uncle John, by reason of lameness and advancing years, was 
incapacitated for labor for the last twenty j'cars of his life, but his 
health permitted him to be about the streets most of the time, so 
that he became one of the most familiar figures seen in the 
village. He reached the unusual age of eighty-nine years, and 
enjoyed his pipe apparently as well as ever in his last year. Mr. 
McLaughlin was a devout Catholic and an excellent citizen. His 
wife died some ten years earlier, and he passed away on May 19, 
1 90 1, leaving one son and three daughters in Penacook, also one 
son and one daughter at INIanchester. 

HEALEV MORSE. 

Healey Morse, one of the landlords of the Penacook House, 
was born in Salisbury, N. H., in 1802, and spent his }^outh in that 
town, attending the district schools, and working on the farm. 
When he had attained his majorit}', he started out to seek his for- 
tune, walking" as far as Peabod}', ]\Iass., where he found cmplo}-- 
ment. While there he was the first driver of the first omnibus 
line running from Peabody to Salem. A little later on he went 
into business for himself, keeping a livery stable, and before leav- 
ing that town he built a hotel which he leased to other parties. 
In 1848 he returned to his native town where he remained seven 
years ; he then came to Penacook and purchased the Penacook 
House in 1855, and remained as landlord during a successful term 
of some .seven years. Wliile living at the hotel, and while his 
children were growing up, he felt the need of better educational 
facilities in the village, and became one of the original trustees of 
Penacook academy. 

In 1 86 1 he built the substantial homestead on Chandler street, 
where he resided during the remainder of his life. After leaving 
the hotel he once more turned his attention to his first occupation 
of farming, doing that rather from a desire for employment of his 
time than from any necessity for further work. Mr. Morse served 
his town as selectman, but other than that never sought or accepted 
public ofifice. 



540 



lllS•KtR^■ Ol' I'KNAroOK. 



June 4, 1840, Mr. Morse was married to Harriet N. Adams, the 
oldest sister of the late "Captain Jack" Adams of Lynn, Mass., 
l)ast commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. 

Their children were Francis H., who succeeds to his father's 
occupation as a farmer; Harriet A., wife of Frederick J. Gage, a 
successful merchant at Boston; George A., a merchant; Abner 
H., deceased; James M., engaged on the New York, New Haven 
& Hartford Railroad at Mansfield, Mass.; and Mar\' E., usually 
called Minnie, who resides at the old homestead with her mother. 

Mr. Morse afifiliated with the Democratic party in political mat- 
ters, and with the Congregational society, where the family attended 
church. 

Mr. Morse died in November, 1S82, aged 80 \-ears. 




IIi:ai.i:v AIoksk. 



GEORGE A. MORSE. 



541 




(Jeokge a. Morse. 



C;E0RGE .\. MORSE. 

George Adams Morse, second son of Healey and Harriet N. 
(Adams) Morse, was born in Peabody, Mass., September 21, 
1847. While yet an infant his parents moved to Sahsbury, N. H., 
where he began his school days, and in 1855 they moved to Pen- 
acook, his father ha\ing purchased the hotel on the Boscawen side 
of the river. George attended the village schools, and later on 
went to the Boscawen academy, finishing his schooling at the 
academy at Meridcn, N. H. 

Mis first work after leaving school was in the old store opposite 
the hotel, as clerk for Luther Gage, in which work he proved to be 
so efificient that he was retained in that position when the business 
was sold to Isaac G. Russ. After Russ sold the store to J. P. 
Hubbard and Austin Kiinl)all he was still retained while they con- 



542 HISTORY OF PKXACOOK. 

ducted the business. His next engagement was witli Brown & 
Linehan, grocers, in the store on the west side of Main street, over 
the canal. After the dissolution of the last named firm, Mr. Morse 
was engaged as shipping clerk at the cabinet shop of H. H. 
Amsden & Sons, and from there returned to the old store on the 
Boscawen side as clerk for P'oote & Gage. 

Mr. Gage moved to Minneapolis in 1879, and Mr. Morse then 
formed a business partnership with Henry T.-Foote under the st}'le 
of Foote & Morse. This firm continued in business at the old 
store until 1891, when the\' sold out to Sanborn Brothers. The 
following year Mr. Morse took a position in the store of C. H. 
Sanders, where he is still employed. 

Mr. Morse has served as town clerk for Boscawen, and as clerk 
of Torrent Engine Co. for ten years or more. He was also fore- 
man of the company for several years. Mr. Morse is one of the 
oldest members of Contoocook lodge, I. O. O. F., having joined the 
order thirty years ago and has filled the sexeral ofifices of the lodge 
acceptably. He has also been a member of the encampment for the 
last twenty-five years. 

On December 7, 1871, Mr. Morse was married to Miss Ella 
George Kimball of Penacook, daughter of Austin G. Kimball. 
They had but one child, Harley George, born September 15, 
1875, who is not now living. 

Mr. Morse is a prominent member of the Democratic party and 
has taken much interest in party management. His family arc 
members of the Congregational society. 

TIARLEV O. MORSE. 

Harley George Morse, only son of George A. and Ella G. 
(Kimball) Morse, and grandson of Healey and Harriet N. 
(Adams) Morse, was born on September 15, 1875, at Penacook, 
in the Morse homestead on Chandler street, which was his home 
during his whole life. His schooling was all taken at the public 
schools of the village, and at sixteen years of age he began work, 
clerking in the old store on the Boscawen side for Sanborn Broth- 
ers, the same store where his father began work twent\'-eight \'ears 
before. 

Harley, like his father, proved to be an excellent young man for 



^ 



T. FRANK RUSS. 



543 



the business, and was retained in the emplo)' of Sanborn Brothers 
up to the time of his sickness antl decease, which occurred on 
January 22, 1901. He was an active member of the Torrent Hose 
Co., and higlil}- esteemed by his associates as well as b}^ the 




Hauley G. Morse. 



citizens of the \illagc generall}'. Harley was a young man of 
unusual promise, and his untimely death seemed a positive loss to 
the whole communit}'. 

J. FRANK RUSS. 

John Frank Russ, son of John O. and Saphronia S. (Gage) 
Russ, and grandson of William H. Gage, was born at Penacook 
on June 29, 1839. His mother died when he was five years old, 
and his boyhood years were spent in the family of John Ells- 
worth, and at his Grandfather Gage's homestead. 



544 IIISTORV OF I'ENACOOK. 

After attending the common and high schools of the v^illagc, 
he took a course of study at the Literary and Scientific Institu- 
tion, New London, N. H., where he became acquainted with the 
young lady who afterwards became his wife. 

On leaving the academy he went to Boston in 1858, and 
entered the store of R. H. Stearns & Co., as clerk or salesman, 
in which capacity he continued some fifteen years, learning the 
business thoroughly. Soon after the great Boston fire, on 
Februar}' i, 1873, he organized the firm of Russ, Cobb & Co., 
importers and dealers in small wares and trimmings, locating on 
Summer street, where that firm continued until January i, 1891, 
when Mr. Cobb retired and the present firm, Russ, Eveleth & 
Ingalls, was organized ; the present location of their business 
being at the extensix-e building, 63 Bedford street. The firm also 
have salesrooms at No. 486 Broadway, New York; they deal in 
both American productions and in foreign goods which the firm 
imports direct. 

]V[r. Russ has been at the head of this extensive business for 
twenty-eight years, and gives his personal attention to the 
management of the financial department; he has confined him- 
self closclx' to business du.ring these }'ears, and has gi\'cn but 
little attention to political, society, or other outside interests. 
He carries his )"ears lightl}' ; coming from \'igorous old New 
England stock, his capacity for work has by no means been 
exhausted by the forty-three years of steady application to busi- 
ness, and his appearance indicates capaci*}' for many \'cars more 
effective service. 

On November 13, 1862, Mr. Russ was married to Miss Au- 
gusta J. Plummer of Goffstown, N. IL, by whom he has three 
sons: Harry, born September 7, 1865; Ernest Frank, born 
June 19, 1876; and Percy Plummer, born March 13, 1880, all of 
whom reside at or near Boston. 

The oldest son, Harry Russ, is an artist of much ability; he 
was thoroughly educated in the best art schools of Boston, New 
York, and Paris, and has exhibited in the Paris Salon. His 
specialty is portrait and figure painting, altliough he has done 
some excellent work in landscape and still life. His studio is on 
Boylston street, Boston, opposite the Thorndike hotel, where he 



J. FRANK RUSS. 



545 



has been located for the past twelve years, but during the sum- 
mer season he spends much of the time at the summer residence 
of his father at Lincoln, Mass. 




J. Frank RLSi>. 

The portrait of Mr. Russ is reproduced by the photograveur 
process from a large and elegant oil painting which hangs in the 
private ofifice of the company at Bedford street; the painting 
being the work of his son Harry. 



546 



HISTORY OF PEXACOOK. 



FREDERICK J. GACE. 

Many of the successful merchants in Boston were New Hamp- 
shire boys, one of whom is Frederick Jolinson Gage, son of 
Isaac K. and Susan G. (Johnson) Gage, who was born at Pena- 
cook on September 12, 1843. His boyhood was passed at the 
Gage homestead near the Penacook House, and he obtained his 





Fkkdkkuk J. Gage. 



education at the district and high schools in the village. Later 
lie completed his schooling at the academy at Meriden, N. H. 

At twenty years of age he was ready to begin work in earnest, 
and went to Boston in 1863; securing a position in the whole- 
sale grocery house of L. G. Pratt 8: Co., as bookkeeper, he there 
developed so much proficienc}' in the business that he was 



LUTHER R. IIARVEV. 547 

retained during the existence of that firm, and its successors in 
business, Boyd, Leeds & Co., and Boyd, Dalton & Co. That in 
itself is a positive proof of his eminent abiUtics and sterhng 
character. He became a member of the firm in 1886, and is 
to-day, after thirty-eight years of continuous service, one of the 
most active and rehable business men of the city. 

Few men are more methodical, accurate, and attentive to busi- 
ness, or better penmen ; these traits he inherits from both father 
and grandfather, who were excellent business men and unusually 
good penmen. 

Mr. Gage is a man of fine personal presence, tall and well 
proportioned ; in appearance as well as in fact he is a noted 
exemplar of a prosperous Boston merchant. 

On March i i, 1868, Mr. Gage was married to Hattie A. Morse, 
daughter of Healey Morse of Penacook. They have two 
daughters, Blanche, born November 24, 1869, and Lottie H., 
born February 22, 1873, and one son, Frederick Healey Morse, 
born October 20, 1874, all of whom reside at Boston or vicinity. 

His religious affiliations are with the Congregational denomina- 
tion, but his close attention to business has prevented him from 
seeking or accepting civil, military, or political office. 

LUTHER R. HARVEY. 

Luther Rockwood Harvey, son of Horatio N. and Phebe W. 
(Rolfe) Harvey, was born at Penacook, February 3, 1840. On 
his mother's side he was a descendant of the Rolfe family, and he 
was the oldest son in his father's family. His earlier years were 
spent at his native village attending the public schools, until his 
parents removed to Haverhill, Mass., where he continued his 
studies. Later he attended the academy at Williston, Vt. 

As soon as he was old enough he enlisted in the United States 
navy, and at twenty-two years of age, February 28, 1862, he was 
appointed third assistant engineer. He showed so much profi- 
ciency in his chosen vocation that he was promoted, October 15, 
1863, to the rank of second assistant engineer. He served in that 
position through the remainder of the Civil War and until Januar\' 
I, 1868, at which date he was again promoted to the responsible 
position of first assistant engineer. During the war he was in 



548 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



service on the steamers Maratanza and Mauniec, attached to the 
North Atlantic squadron. After the close of the Civil War Mr. 
Harvey saw service with the European and the Asiatic squadrons, 
and so visited nearly all of the countries of the world. 

Mr. Harvev had but few furloughs ashore, but he did make a 




LUTIIKK R. ll.\K\EV. 

few visits to his native \'illage. He was a fine, soldierly-looking 
man, of good mechanical and executive ability, and his service in 
the navy was an honor to his family, and a credit to his native 
place. His last service was at the Marc Island na\'\-\-ard, Califor- 
nia, where he died on June i i, iSS6. 

THE FOUR rRESCOTT HROTHERS. 

The four Prescott brothers — John, Edwin, Lester, and Leander, 
sons of William S. and Harriet (Marden) Prescott, who came to 



THE PRESCOTT BROTHERS. 549 

Penacook in 1869, are descendants of an old and honorable 
family. The history of the family traces their ancestors back to 
the days of Queen Elizabeth in 1564. John Prcscott left Eng- 
land to avoid persecution, arriving in Boston in 1640. He was 
one of the original propietors of the town of Lancaster, Mass., 
and the first settler. James Prescott, a cousin of John, came 
over in 1665, and settled in Hampton, N. H. Both of these 
Puritans were ancestors of large and distinguished families. 
Among the descendants of John were Col. William Prescott, com- 
mander of the American forces at the battle of Bunker Hill, and 
in a later generation William H. Prescott, LL. D., the eminent 
historian. 

The descendants of James are more numerous and include men 
eminent in all lines of professional and civil life — clergymen, 
physicians, lawyers, teachers, ofificers in the army and navy, rail- 
road managers, mariners, musicians. This branch of the family 
includes the late Benjamin F. Prescott, governor of New Hamp- 
shire; Dr. William Prescott, who wrote the family history; 
George D. B. Prescott, the treasurer of the Prescott Piano Co., 
as well as the four Prescott brothers who are the subjects of this 
sketch. 

In all the years since the original settlement in this country the 
family has demonstrated its patriotism by service in the French 
and Indian wars, the Revolution, the War of 1 812, the Mexican 
War, and in the War of the Rebellion. The family history shows 
the names of two hundred and twenty soldiers in the Civil War 
who bore the name of Prescott, and one hundred and forty-five 
others whose mother was a Prescott, throe hundred and sixty-five 
in all, a record that is an honor to every member of the family. 

The father of the Prcscott brothers died at Penacook in 1876, 
leaving a famil\' of eight children, four bo}'s and four girls, in care 
of the mother, who was a woman of superior abilities, and a 
devout Christian. With but limited means she brought up her 
family, giving them such education as the village schools pro- 
vided. The children had good health and ambition to succeed 
in life. The girls are all married and reside in Penacook. They 
are Mrs. Dudley F. Smith, Mrs. George S. Locke, Mrs. George 
N. Dutton, and Mrs. Harry A. Brown. 



550 



IirSTORV OF PENACOOK. 



John William Prescott was born in Epsom, N. H., No\-cmbcr 
22, 1855. He attended the schools of his native town and at 
Penacook. 

Like all of the family he learned to work at an early age, and 
was employed in several shops in the village during the twelve 
years that he remained there. In 1881 he started West to find 




John W. 1'rescott. 



better opportunities for success, locating first at Chicago where 
he remained two years. lie then settled at Plainficld, 111., where 
he has prospered and become a prominent contractor and builder, 
having built many public buildings and fine residences in Joliet 
and surrounding towns. 

Mr. Prescott was married in 1884 to Miss Luella Horton, and 
has two promising boys, Wade ¥. and Harry L. 



EDWIN B. I'RKSCOTT. 



551 



Edwin Baxter Prescott, the second son, was born in Epsom 
October 27, 1857, and came with his parents to Penacook when 
twelve years of age. After his school days were over he worked 
for a time at the Concord Axle Works, and later spent a few 
years in the West; in 1882 he began work in the meat and pro- 
vision business, in which he has continued until the present date. 




Edwin li. 1'rescott. 

For fourteen }-ears he has been at the Washington House mar- 
ket, first as clerk and later as proprietor. In this he has been 
successful, and accumulated a comfortable property; his home- 
stead on South Main street is an attractive and well kept place. 
He is a member of the I. O. O. ¥. societ}'. On May 15, 1883, 
he married Miss Eliza Elliott, by whom he has three children, 
Lewis W., J. Edwin, and Ruth. 



552 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



Lester \V. Prescott was born at T^psom No\-cmber 27, 1859. 
He came to Penacook at ten }'cars of age, and has since resided 
in the village. He was also emplo}'ed at the axle shop for a 
time, but in 1888 he began work for the Fisherville Saw com- 
pany, the proprietor, George S. Locke, being his brother-in-law. 
In this business he became a skilful workman, and has continued 




Lksticr W. ruicstoTT, 



that employment to the present time. He was married August 
29, 1886, to Miss Josephine Provost, and they reside on Summer 
street, in their cottage built within the last three years. 

Leandcr C. Prescott, the }-()ungcst of the brothers, was born at 
Epsom, N. H., February 19, 1862. Coming to Penacook at seven 



LEANDER C. PRESCOTT, 



553 



years of age, he received practicall)' all of his schooling in the Pena- 
cook village schools. When eighteen years of age he began work 
in the flour mill as sweeper, and by his energy and ability earned 
promotion through every grade of the service up to that of head 
miller. After twenty years' service in the mill he desired to make 
a change, and was about to leave the position, but the proprie- 




Leandkk C. Pkescott, 



tors, Stratton & Co., desired him to remain with them, so gave 
him a position in charge of the office of the company where he 
remains at this date (1901 ). 

Mr. Prescott was appointed postmaster of Penacook by President 
Cleveland, and served in that position during Cleveland's second 
term, but left most of the ofificc work to his first assistant, John B. 
Dodge. Mr. Prescott was married on October 28, 1895, to Miss 



554 HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 

Minnie E. Nelson of Gilnianton, N. H., by whom he has one 
daughter, Harriet. 

He has lately built a very attractive residence on Cross street, 
from which there is a fine view of the Merrimack valley and hills to 
the eastward. 

The four brothers are all thrift}', " well-to-do" young men, good 
examples of what may be accomplished by earnest, well-directed 
labor, good citizens, and a credit to an ancient and honorable 
famil}'. 

ALBERT ir. DROWN. 

Albert Henry Drown, son of Israel and Christina A. (Carpenter) 
Drown, was born at Rehoboth, Mass., August ii, 1824. He is a 
descendant, in the sixth generation, of Leonard Drown, born in 
Kent, England, in 1646, who first settled in Portsmouth, N. H., 
and from there moved to Boston where he died in 1729, and was 
buried in the famous Copps Hill burying-ground. His succeeding 
ancestors were Solomon Drown, born at Portsmouth, N. H., 1681 ; 
Jonathan Drown, born at Bristol, R. I., 1712; Nathaniel Drown, 
born at liristol, R. I., 1740; and Israel Drown, born at Rehoboth, 
Mass., 1776. 

Mr. Drown's bo}'hood and school days were passed in his native 
town. When sixteen }'ears of age, in 1841, he went to Provi- 
dence, R. I., and served an apprenticeship, learning the machinist's 
trade. During his first year at Providence he was elected to mem- 
bership in the fire department in luigine Compan\^ Niagara, No. 
2, being the youngest member ever admitted to that organization. 
Two }^ears later he removed to another part of the city and trans- 
ferred his membership to the Pioneer, No. 8. In that compan}^ 
he showed so much enthusiasm and proficicnc\- that in three 
months from the date of joining the compan}- he was elected as- 
sistant foreman. The name and number of that compan\-. Pioneer, 
No. 8, was the same as of the comi)an\- that he commanded so 
successfully at Penacook. 

He remained at Providence five years and next went to New- 
port, R. I., where he was married. Shortl}' after that, in 1847, he 
came to Penacook to take a position at the Penacook mill for 
H. H. and J. S. Brown, being a brother-in-law of Mr. J. S. Brown. 
At Penacook his energetic, active temperament quickly made him 



ALBERT II. DROWN. 



555 



a leading spirit in every association that he was connected with, 
notably so in political and fire department interests. Mr. Drown 
was one of the earliest members of Pioneer Engine Co., No. 8, 
organized in 1849, and was elected foreman of that company con- 
tinuously from 1850 to 1862, except two )'ears when the place 
was given to his brother, Leonard Drown. During his adminis- 




Aliikrt H. Duowx. 



tration he made the company the most efficient of an\- in the city 
of Concord. The companies in the cit\' did not admit the supe- 
riority until after making a notable trial in 1852, when the crack 
compan}' of the city was so cm[)hatically beaten that they raised 
a subscription of several hundred dollars and petitioned the city 
council to take that money to procure an engine for them like the 
Pioneer, No. 8. 



5 56 HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. 

Mr. Drown was a charter member of and the first master of 
Horace Chase lodge, No. 72, F. & A. Masons, to which interest 
he gave much of his time and care. In conferring the degrees in 
that organization he was specially proficient, setting a standard 
that has not been surpassed since his day. Subsequently Mr. 
Drown took the higher degrees in Masonry at Concord, and is a 
member of Mt. Horeb commandery, Knights Templar. But per- 
haps the most controlling interest in Mr. Drown's life in Penacook 
was party politics. He was a born politician, and no man in the 
village e\-cr put so much strenuous effort into politics, or got so 
much enjoyment out of it, or was so generally successful as Albert 
H. Drown. 

He was originall}' a Democrat, becoming chairman of the ex- 
ecutive committee of that party soon after his arrival in the village, 
but in 1854 he resigned his position and left that party because of 
the party action on the repeal of the Missouri compromise: being 
of strong free-soil proclivities he could no longer remain with that 
party. Naturally he was then ready to assist in forming the Re- 
publican party; in this he was so active that he was elected vice- 
president for ward one of the cit\' committee when the first party 
organization was effected. 

At the beginning of his work in this line in ward one the Dem- 
ocrats had a majority of 30 votes, but his work for the new part}' 
was so effective that within a few }'ears the majority of \-otcs of 
his own party was greater than the whole number of votes cast 
by his opponents. 

Mr. Drown was not in politics for his personal benefit, but 
always for the benefit of his part}', and because of his earnest 
belief in principles for which the part}' stood. He was emphat- 
ically a manager rather than an ofi'ice seeker. His associates, 
however, desired him to take his turn in ofifice, and he served as 
alderman of the city of Concord in 1S55 and 1856, and was a 
representative in the N. H. legislature in 1858 and 1859. He 
was the first assistant city marshal for ward one when the city of 
Concord was organized, also assistant engineer of the cit}' fire de- 
partment for several years. 

After several years' service at the Penacook mill Mr. Drown, in 
company with his brother Leonard, went into business as machin- 



ALBERT H. DROWN. 557 

ists and axle manufacturers under the firm name of L. & A. H. 
Drown & Co., their place of business being the original building 
of the present axle works on Crescent street. This business was 
broken up by the Civil War. Leonard enlisted in the Second 
Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, in June, 1861, was ap- 
pointed captain, and was killed in battle May 5, 1862. Albert 
remained in business until October, 1862, when he was commis- 
sioned as lieutenant in the Sixteenth Regiment, United States 
Vohintcers, and appointed quartermaster, serving in that impor- 
tant position during the entire term of service of that regiment. 
Shortly after his return to New Hampshire, in 1863, he was ap- 
pointed master machinist at the Portsmouth navy yard, where he 
remained in command nearly three years. In 1868 he accepted 
the position of master mechanic of the Blackstone mills at Black- 
stone, R. I., continuing that service for thirteen years. Later he 
was superintendent of cotton mills in Connecticut and Rhode 
Island for eleven years. In 1892 he returned to Penacook to 
accept the agency of the Penacook cotton mill, where he remained 
some four years, but finding the machinery too old for profitable 
operation he retired from the management and removed to New- 
ton, Mass., and later to Revere, Mass., where he resides at this 
date (1901). As a skilful mechanic and capable manager of 
important manufacturing enterprises Mr. Drown has enjoyed an 
active and successful career. 

Mr. Drown was married at Newport, R. I., in 1847 ^o Miss 
Louise Harriet Smith of Apulia, N. Y., and by her has had four 
children, Edward A., a merchant in Boston; Fred I., a dentist at 
Boston; Mar\' L., residing with her father at Revere; and Clar- 
ence H., deceased. Mrs. Drown died in 1882, and Mr. Drown 
has not married again. 

Beside his Masonic affiliations Mr. Drown retains membership 
in the Odd Fellows organization, and has been an active member 
of the Congregational societies wherever he has resided. Of late 
years he has become interested in the Sons of the American Rev- 
olution, for membership in which organization he is doubly quali- 
fied, both of his grandfathers having been Revolutionar}- soldiers. 



558 



HISTORY OK PENACOOK. 




JicKK O'Hallokan. 



JERE o'lIALI.ORAN. 

Among the large number of \-oung men born in Penacook \\ho 
have pushed out to a wider world and beeome famous in the 
various lines of human endeavor, few, if any, ha\e become more 
widely known than Jere O'Halloran, Boston's poet-barber. 

Jere was born in the Halloran house near the office of the Con- 
cord Axle Co. on November 14, 1861. I lis parents were 
Edward and Catherine (Ford) O'lialloran, both natives of County 
Cork, Ireland. Jere was the oldest of three children, and after 
the death of his father, in 1871, lie left school and went {o work, 
at ten years of age, in the cotton mills. Later on he found 
employment in the cabinet shop, in the grocer}- store of lion. 
J. C. Linehan for a short time, and at the Harris Woolen mills. 



JERE O HALLORAN. 5 59 

While at the latter place he formed a desire to learn the barber's 
trade, and was soon given a place in the shop of B. Frank Morse. 
Later on he opened a shop of his own. For several years he 
spent some time in business at such summer hotels as Boar's 
Head, Hampton, and Hotel Fiske, at Old Orchard. In 1882 Mr. 
O'Halloran was married to Miss Maud Josephine Elliott, by whom 
he has one son, Edward J. O'Halloran, born Jan. 22, 1884, who 
has been known in public as "Master Eddie, the musical wonder." 

Mr. O'Halloran moved to Cambridge, Mass., in 1888, and has 
since found employment at his trade in some of the leading shops 
in Boston. He began verse-making when only thirteen years old. 
In 1887 his first song, "You Know," was set to music by Sam 
Lucas, and it has been sung the country over. Since that date 
he has written and has in print over one hundred songs, of which 
he has been publisher of thirty or more. Some of the most suc- 
cessful songs are "My Dreamland Queen," "Don't Forget," 
"Sweet Kitty Cleary," " Yes, Some Sweet Day," "My Sweet- 
heart from Over the Sea," "The Old Brass Knocker on the Door," 
"I Wonder Why," and " My Home by the Old Village Mill." 

Many of his songs have been sung by leading artists in Eng- 
land as well as in America. He has collaborated with such emi- 
nent composers as Herbert Johnson, the famous Ruggles street 
tenor, J. Hallet Gilbertee, and others, using the names of " Clifton 
Loraine," or " Elliot Rotchford," on their songs, and his own 
name on the larger number of his compositions. Jere O'Hal- 
loran's songs have been published by at least ten music publishers 
in Boston, by several others in New York, Chicago, and by two 
houses in London, Eng. They have been sung b)' the great 
chorus at the Christmas pantomimes in London ; and in America 
by the " Bronze Melba," with chorus of four hundred voices, and 
military band, and by concert and vaudeville singers all over the 
country. 0\'er fifty of Mr. O'Halloran's songs have been written 
for the Sunday papers and magazines, and he has in scrap-books 
over seven hundred flattering notices and " write ups " of himself 
and his songs, all of which seem to establish the fact that Jere 
O'Halloran is one of the most popular and successful song writers 
of the country, and to this eminent position he has attained by his 
own unaided efforts. 



56o 



HISTORY OF I'ENACOOK. 



THOMAS R. DOUGE. 

Mr. T. R. Dodge, a celebrated officer of the Brotherhood of 
Railroad Trainmen with a national reputation for ability in his pro- 
fession, was born in Chicago, April 19, 1861, but came to New 
Hampshire with his parents when four years old where he remained 
until twenty years of age. During the years i'&7S~ 7^-77 y 




T. K. DoiXiK. 

Mr. Dodge resided at I'enacook and attended Penacook acadeni}', 
with Henry L. Little of Minneapolis, Hon. John F. Philbrick 
of Bismarck, N. D., and several other ^-oung men who ha\e made 
so good u.se of their privileges as to attain to positions of great 
honor and responsibility. After his school days at Penacook, Mr. 
Dodge attended Pembroke academy, and in 1881 went to Chi- 



LAWREN'CE P. GAHAGAX. 56 1 

cago and entered the railroad service. Beginning" with the lower 
grades he worked his way through the several departments of the 
train service, and soon became conspicuous tor ability and trust- 
worthiness. Because of his eminent fitness for the position he 
was elected a member of the Grand Executive Board of the Broth- 
erhood of Railroad Trainmen at their convention held in Boston 
in 1893. Two years later, at the convention held at Galcsburg, 
111., he was chosen second vice-grand master, in which responsi- 
ble position he developed so much executive ability that he has 
been reelected three times, being now on his fourth term of two 
years. Mr. Dodge now devotes his entire time to the work of his 
Order, his duties calling for his presence in all parts of the coun- 
try ; he travels some 25,000 miles annually, makes a great number 
of speeches, arranges a vast amount of special business, earning 
and receiving a large salary. 

Mr. Dodge married a talented lady from Minneapolis, Minn., who 
has been very helpful to him in his public work, and their home 
is in Chicago. 

LAWRENCE P. GAHAGAN. 

(LAWRENCE C.KATTA.N.) 

A natural gift of oratory and a love of the stage is not the 
usual endowment of the New England boy, but at least one such 
youth first saw the light in Penacook. Lawrence P. Gahagan, 
son of Peter and Ann (Keenan) Gahagan, was born at Penacook, 
on August 17, 1870. His parents were of Irish blood, members 
of the race that claims a large majority of the actors and actresses 
of America and luigland. 

In his early school days Lawrence Gahagan — or "Larry," as he 
was usually called — was always ready to " speak a piece" on the 
stage, and as he grew up to be one of the larger boys, at all 
school exhibitions he was the star performer. 

Amateur theatricals claimed his attention while he was yet a 
stripling, and he usually appeared in the comical parts, gaining 
great applause. His parents having but limited means, young 
Larry left school at an earl}^ age and began to work for his own 
support in the Concord Axle shops. There he gave good atten- 
tion to his w^ork, but his mind was turned more and more towards 
37 



562 



HISTORY OF PENACOOK. 



the stage. W'hile still connected with the shop, he filled several 
engagements with amateur theatrical companies, with constanth' 
increasing interest, and with a corresponding decrease of interest 
in shop work. Finally when he could no longer endure the 
drudgery of manual labor, he decided to give up shop work, and 
started out to win fame and fortune as an actor. It was a large 




Lawkknck p. Gahagan. 
(Lawrence Gratlaii.) 

undertaking for a }'oung man in his circumstances, but he had 
some points in his equipment that would seem to command suc- 
cess, — good health, a good figure, an unusually full, rich voice, 
and a natural aptitude for acting. K\-identl)' he was a born actor, 
and needed but study and experience to attain a commanding 
position. He did not make the mistake of tr\Mng to begin at the 



LAWRENCE P. GAHAGAN. 563 

top, but was willing to work his way upward as his opportunities 
and his abilities enabled him. He has worked mostly in good 
stock companies, and gained in reputation and in remuneration 
for his work constantly since the start in his profession. 

His village friends are naturally proud of his success, and, to 
show their appreciation, presented him an elegant cane during 
one of his engagements at Concord. Soon after he entered the 
profession, he assumed the pleasing stage name of '* Lawrence 
Grattan," — Grattan being the honored name of the most eminent 
Irish statesman and orator of the last centurx'. That Lawrence 
Grattan will wear that name worthily, and will make it illustrious 
on the stage throughout the whole countr\-, is the hope and 
expectation of his friends at Pcnacook. 



FINALE, 



In closing this series of biographical notes, the writer is conscious of 
many omissions, but time and space forbid a further extension in this 
direction. Among the villagers who have received but little space in 
these pages are some of the families of Canadian birth or parentage ; 
of these Francis Jemery represents one of the families of longest resi- 
dence, having himself been working at his trade as a cooper, at the 
flour mills, for about fortj'-five years. Alfred Piovost, the father of a 
large family, is also a long-time resident. Louis J. Sebra, the master 
carpenter and builder; Louis Deschamps, the efficient nurse; George 
H. Matott, a veteran of the Civil War; the La Dieus, the Ketchams, 
are others of the citizens who deserve more than mention. And 
among the former citizens now residing elsewhere many more worthy 
names may be recalled, and a few can be mentioned here, — Norman 
D. Corser, now living at Salt Lake City, Utah ; Dr. James L Tucker, 
Harley C. Gage, and Isaac H. Pevere at Chicago; Herbert Tucker, a 
successful merchant at Minneapolis, also the brothers John C. and 
Spicer Gage in the same city; William H. Moody at Grafton, Mass.; 
D. H. Putnam, Edward A. Drown, and George W. Fox at Boston; Leon 
M.Greeley, the printer, and Evarts McQuesten, the merchant, at Concord, 
all of whom and many others have helped spread the name and fame 
of Penacook throughout the country. 



INDEX. 



Water Power at Penacook 

Location of Penacook 

Controversy over Town Line 

Population 

What tlie Village Contains 

First Historic Event 

Mrs. Dustin and the Indians 

When and by whom Settled 

Oldest Resident, Mrs. Lydi 

Elliott .... 
First Mills, Where and by whom 

Built .... 
First Ferry 
Public Landing 
Bridges over the Merrimack River 
Bridges over tlie Contoocoo 

River .... 
Ancient Houses 
Oldest House in the Village 
Manufacturing . 
Gage Sawmill . 
Gage's Carding and Ciothin 

Mill .... 
Johnson's Blacksmith Shop 
Stone Saw Shop 
Cabinet Shop . 
Granite Polishing Shop 
Dustin Island Woolen Mills 
The Flour Mill 
Rolfe's Sawmill 
Harvey & Whidden"s Sash an( 

Door Shop . 
Blanchard's Excelsior Factory 
J. E. Symonds Table Co. 
Rolfe's Sash and Door Shops 
Contoocook Mill 



PAGE 

I 
I 
I 



7 
lo 
1 1 

12 

13 
17 

•9 
24 
24 



^5 
27 
27 
27 
29 
29 

29 
29 
29 

30 
32 



H. H. & J. S. Brown 

Contoocook Mfg. & Mech. Co. 

Penacook Mill . . . . 

Boscawen Mills 

New Hampsiiire Spinning Mills 

Palmer's Batting Factory . 

Martin's Table Shop 

Machine Shop (Drown's) 

A. B. Winn & Co. . 

D. Arthur Brown & Co. . 

Concord Axle Co. 

Ames, Gerrish & Co.'s Foundry 

Session's Iron Foundry 

Cabinet Shop — Caldwell X: Ams- 

den . . . . . 

Penacook Manufaclining Co. 
Plumbers' Woodworking Co. 
Brett's Peg Factory . 
Haynes' Blacksmith Shop 
Machine Shop and Foundry 

(Rand's) . . . . 

Rand's Piano P'actory 
Walsh's Woolen Mill 
Charles Black's Table Shop 
Penacook Electric Light Co. 
Elliott's Sawmill 
J. Whitaker & Co.'s Sawmill 
The Electric Mill . 
Whitney Electrical Instrument 

Co 

The Concord Mfg. Co. 
Holden's Woolen Mills 
Batchelder's Shoe Factory 
Brown & Brickett Shoe Factory 
Brockway's Wallet Manufactory 
Stores, Storekeepers, Shops, etc 



PAGE 

33 

33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
37 
37 
37 
37 
38 
39 
39 

41 
41 
42 
42 
42 

42 
43 
43 
43 
43 
44 
44 
45 

45 
47 
47 
48 

49 
49 
50 



566 



INDEX. 



Jolinson & Gage Store 
Jeremiah KimbaH's Pantheon 

Block .... 
Crosby & Gat^c Dry Goods Stori 
H. H. & J. S. Brown Stores 
Foote, Brown & Co. 
John Bachelder's Store 
J. P. Sanders Shoe and Clothin; 

Store .... 
The Allen Store 
Lyman K. Hall 

Hon. John C. Linehan, Groce 
Samuel G. Noye.s, Storekeeper 

and Editor . 
The Rays of Light . 
Chadwick Stores 
John McNeil, Storekeeper 
Henry T. Foote, Storekeeper 
George N. Button, Dry Goods 
John C. Farrand, General Ston 
Andrew Linehan, Fruit Store 
Holt & Vinica, General Store 
KimbalFs Brick Store 
Fred IVI. Morse, Fancy Goods 
Sargent & Co., Grocers 
James Hazelton, Millinery 
Geo. W. Wadleigh, Millinery 
E. H. Rollins, Druggist . 
Jacob Hosmer, Druggist . 
Dr. Wm. H. Hosmer, Druggis 
W. C. Spicer, Druggist 
Cephas H. Fowler, Druggist 
Dr. C. C. Topliff, Druggist 
J. Irving Hoyt, Druggist . 
Watchmakers and Jewelers 

B. F. Stevens . 
William H. Bell 
R. D. Morse . 
Piiotographers 

Mr. Johnson ... 
D. Dennison Cone . 
Benjamin Carr 

C. C. Marshall 
Herman L. Currier . 
Morris S. Lamprey . 



5° 

51 
52 
52 
54 
54 

55 

57 
57 
58 

58 
58 

59 
60 
60 
60 
60 
61 
61 
62 
62 
62 
62 
62 
63 
63 
63 
65 
65 
65 
65 
65 
65 
65 
65 
66 
66 
66 
66 
66 
66 
66 



Mr. Bedell 

M. C. Harriman 

lUitchers and Marketmen 

Caleb C. Hall 

Daniel Smith . 

Charles Smith 

Morrill & Pillsbury . 

George D. Abbott . 

William H. Sawyer . 

John Foss 

Wm. B. Cunningham 

John B. Goldsmith . 

¥. A. Abbott . 

Edward Prescott 

Stove and Tin Shops 

H. H. Amsden 

Amsden & Merriam 

John P. Hubbard 

Reuben C. Danforth 

Holmes & Evans 

Evans & Gale . 

N. S. Gale & Co. . 

Moses H. Bean 

Horace Sessions 

Isaac Baty 

Wm. Arthur Bean . 

W. B. Ouinby 

Milliners 

Widow Knowlton 

Widow Lucretia Sabin 

Fanny B. Daggett . 

Miss Atherton 

James Hazelton 

M. O. Hastings 

Geo. W. Wadleigh . 

Miss Merrill 

Mrs. H. J. Thompson 

Mrs. Ada Batchelder 

Mary Morrill . 

The Kilburn Sisters 

Timothy S. Jacobs . 

The Peaslee Sisters . 

Mrs. Hale Chadwick 

Dressmakers . 

Mary F. Hoyt 



INDEX. 



567 



Sarah Ann Jacknian 
Abby Thompson 
Louisa Mann 
Mrs. Dudley . 
Mrs. Dimond . 
Miss Anna Walsh 
Tailors . 

A. W. Ouimby 
T. F. Basselt . 
George B. Davis 
O. N. French . 
D. M. Burpee 

R. H. Thompson 
Wm. S. Roach 
Samuel F. Brown 
James I. Tucker 
Norman D. Corser 
Blacksmiths 
Warren Johnson 
Jeremiah Haynes 
John J. Morrill 
James M. Gay 
Wm. and Henry Dow 
Thaddeus O. Wilson 
Theophilus Blake 
Philip C. Clovigh 
Charles F. N orris 
Israel Drown . 
Leonard Drown 
Isaac G. Howe 
True Dennis . 
Albert Thompson 
Edgerly & Willis 
Job S. Davis . 

B. E. Rogers . 
Labonle Bros. 
Partridge & Tenney 
Samuel G. Sanborn 
Augustus H. Davis . 
Fellows Bros. . 
Green Brothers 
George W. Brock way 
Alonzo Elliott 
Charles Holmes 
Edward McShane 



72 
72 
72 
72 
72 
72 

73 

73 

73 

73 

73 

73 

73 

73 

73 

73 

73 

74 

74 

74 

74 

74 

74 

74 

74 

74 

74 

75 

75 

75- 

75 

7S 

75 

75 

7S 

75 

75 

75 

75 

76 

76 

76 

76 

76 

76 



Henry Hey wood 

Shoemakers 

Jacob P. Sanders 

Janies and David Marsh 

Maj. Tilden Kimball 

Thomas Savory 

(Dr.) Stephen H. Currier 

E. P. Lowater 

John, Cyrus, and Wm. Jameson 

Samuel Cheeny 

M. Fournier 

Carpenters 

Carpenters in 1850 . 

John Harris, Pattern Maker 

Physicians 

Lawyers 

Barbers . 

Undertakers . 

Dentists 

Harness Makers 

Depot Masters 

Teaming 

Painters 

Bakers 

Masons . 

Churches, Schools, etc. 

Christian Denomination . 

Early Christian Workers . 

First Meeting-house 

First Baptist Church and Society 

Original Members First Baptist 

Church . . . . 

Dedication First Baptist Chvnxh 
Baptist Parsonage 
Remodeling Baptist Church 
Pastors and Deacons ]3aptist 

Church . . . . 

Methodist Church 
Pastors of Methodist Church 
Congregational Church 
Remodeling Congregational 

Church . . . . 

Catholic Church 
Second Advent Church 
Episcopal Church 



76 
76 
76 
76 
77 
77 
77 
77 
77 
77 
77 
77 
78 
79 
79 
80 
82 
83 
83 
85 
85 
86 

87 
88 
88 
89 
89 
90 
90 
91 

92 
94 
95 
95 

97 
98 

99 
99 

lOI 

102 
106 
107 



568 

Scliools and Teachers 

Union School District 

Schoolhouse — Boscawen Side 

Schoolhouse — Concord Side 

School District No. 20 

The Brick Sclioolhouse, District 

No. 20 . . . 

Dedication of Schoolhouse 
Board of Education 
Teachers of the Earlier Years 
Teachers of Later Years . 
School District No. 14 or 7 

Boscawen 
Whittier's High Scliool 
Board of Education 
Purchase of Penacook Academy 
Yearly Expenses of Schools 
Salaries of Teachers 
Names of Teachers 
Libraries 
Fisherville Library Association 
Librarians 

Officers of Library . 
Penacook Academy . 
Hotels and Landlords 
Penacook House 
Washington House . 
Central House 
Post-office and Postmasters 
Rates of Postage in 1843 • 
Coburn Block, Post-office 
Engine Companies . 
Members and Ofticers of first 

Fire Company 
Torrent Engine House 
Change to Hose Co. 
Officers of Torrent Engine Co 
Pioneer Engine Co., No. 8 
Original Members of Pioneer Co 
Purchase of Engine . 
Competitive Trial with No. 

Company 
Excursion to tlie Shoals . 
Firemen who went to War 
Reception to President Hayes 



INDEX. 



109 
109 
1 10 
1 10 
1 1 I 

1 12 

113 
114 

"5 
116 

116 
117 
118 
119 
120 
120 
121 
122 
122 
123 
124 
124 
126 
126 
128 
129 
129 
130 
'32 
133 

134 

139 
141 
142 
143 
143 
144 

145 
149 
152 
154 



New Engine House . 

Pioneer Engine House and 

Ward House 
The Steamer Pioneer, No. 3 
Trial of the New Engine . 
List of Officers Pioneer Engine 

Company 
Fires .... 
Musical and other Organization 
First Baptist Choir . 
Fisherville Brass Band 
Singing Schools 
Masonic Organizations 
Horace Cliase Lodge, No. 72 
Contoocook Lodge No. 26, I. O 

O. F. ... 

Officers of Contoocook Lodge 
The Rebekahs 
The Lhiion Club 
The Woman's Club . 
The Union Soldiers' Aid Societ 
Union Council No. 5,O.U. A.M 
Knights of Pythias . 
Fisherville Lyceum Association 
Temperance and otiier Societies 
The Philologian Society . 
The Grange ... 
W. L Brown Post 31, G. A. R 
Decoration of Soldiers' Graves 
Police Station and G. A. R 

Hall .... 
W. L Brown Relief Cori)s, No 

45 ... . 

Penacook & Boscawen Water 

Sysiem 
Dustin Island Monument 
Celebrations 
The Daniel Webster Correspond 

ence .... 
Concert by Maj. Alfred Little 
Centennial Celebrations . 
Reminiscences by Capt. Nat 

Rolfe .... 
Reminiscences by Harriet Chan 

dler .... 



155 

156 
157 
157 

162 

163 
170 
170 
171 

172 
•73 
173 

174 
•75 
176 
177 
178 
184 
187 
188 
189 
190 
191 
191 
192 
194 

198 



203 
207 



::i4 
214 

215 

2 16 



I 



INDEX. 



569 



Reminiscences by Hon. Jolin 




rVaiifw- .M Garland . 


326 


Kimball . . . . 


218 


Theodore F. Elliott 


329 


Reminiscences by Geo. Frank 




Dea. Fisher Ames . 


■}>}>^ 


Sanborn . . . . 


218 


Rev. Millard F. Johnson . 


333 


Woodlawn Cemetery Association 


221 


John Chadwick 


335 


Jackson Rifle Co. . 


226 


Dea. Almon Harris . 


337 


Fisiierville Light Infixntry 


227 


John S. Brown 


339 


Sniythe Guards 


228 


George W. Abbott . 


342 


Boys' Military Companies 


229 


Col. Abial Rolfe . 


344 


Diary of Squire VVm. H. Gage . 


230 


George W. Wadleigh 


346 


Officers of Ward One 


233 


Charles M. Rolfe . 


347 


Contoocook River Park 


234 


S. Prentice Danforth 


348 


Tiie " Modena'' 


235 


Henry E. Chamberlin 


350 


The Commodore 


236 


Hon. Willis G. Bu.xton . 


351 


Penacook in the Civil War 


^11 


Hon. John Whitaker 


354 


Penacook in llie Spanish War 


246 


Hon. Edmund H. Brown 


356 


The Fisherville Cornet Band 


247 


Dr. A. C. Alexander 


358 


Brown's Band . 


254 


David F. Dudley, Esq. 


361 


Then and Now, Fathers of the 




Maj. Richard Gage . 


362 


Hamlet 


267 


Rev. Joseph F. Fielden 


363 


Spring Freshets 


27s 


Dr. A. E. Emery 


365 


High Water in the Merrimack 


277 


Calvin Gage 


367 


Ice Cone on the Merrimack 


279 


Hannibal Bonney 


369 


Accidents and Incidents . 


280 


Hon. John C. Pearson 


370 


Penacook .Men Honored . 


284 


Hon. Nehemiah Butler 


372 


Accidental Deaths . 


286 


Charles E. Foote 


374 


Biographical . 


290 


Maj. William I. Jirown 


376 


Dea. Henry H. Brown 


290 


Asa M. Gage . 


385 


Warren Johnson 


293 


Dea. Wm. H. Allen 


387 


Rev. Albert W. Fiske 


295 


Robert O. Farrand . 


389 


Capt. Henry Rolfe . 


. 296 


Jacob P. Sanders 


391 


Charles P. Shepard . 


298 


Charles H. Sanders 


• 393 


Isaac K. Gage 


• 301 


Dr. Henry C. Holbrook . 


• 396 


Hon. Wm. H. Gage 


303 


John P. Hubbard 


• 397 


Rev. Edmund Worth 


■ 305 


Hon. Charles H. Amsden 


398 


Abner B. Winn 


• 307 


Prof. John E. Abbott 


402 


Rev. P. R. McOuesten 


■ 309 


Dr. William H. Hosmcr . 


• 404 


Hon. Charles A. Morse . 


• 311 


Dr. E. E. Graves 


. 406 


Jolin S. Rollins 


• -h^^ 


Geo. N. Dutton 


. 408 


John G. Butler 


■ 315 


John H. Moore 


. 410 


Capt. Nath. Rolfe . 


• 1^1 


George Frank Sanborn 


. 412 


Joseph H. Rolfe 


■ 319 


Hon. Edward N. Pearson 


• 414 


Benjamin F. Caldwell 


• 321 


Hon. Marcellus Gould 


. 416 


Charles G. Knowles 


• 322 


William W. Allen . 


. 418 


Dea. Frank A. Abbott 


• 324 


Charles Abbott 


• 419 



570 



INDEX. 



B. Frank Varney 
E. Sheldov, Harris . 
Edson H. Maltice . 
Sergt. Hale Chadwick 
Everett L. Davis 
Henry H. Amsden . 
Capt. Leonard Drown 
William C. Spicer . 
Horace B. Sherburne 
William S. Kimball 
Hon. Benj. A. Kimball 
Rev. Father Barry 
Cephas H. Fowler 
Sergt. Samuel N. Br< 
Reuben Johnson 
Col. Wm. P. Chandlt 
The Brown Family 
Abial R. Chandler 
D. Arthur Brown 
Nathan Chandler 
Henry F. Balch 
Dr. David D. Smith 
Fred H. Blanchard 
The Rolfe Family 
Hazen Knowlton 
George T. Kenney 
Lawrence Gahagan 
Edward McArdle 
Thomas Quigley 
Francis O'Neil 
Edward Taylor 
Patrick Kelley 
Jeremiah Reagan 
Patrick Barry . 
Kiaran Pendergast 
James Dolan . 
Andrew Keenan 
John Gahagan 
Andrew Foley 
Martin Nolan 
James Connor 
Henry A. Brown 



421 " Isaac Baty 

423 John A. Coburn 

425 Daniel Holden 

427 Edmund Worth, Jr 

429 Capt. John Sawyer 

431 John Linehan . 

433 Hon. John C. Linehan 

436 Rev. Timothy P. Linehan 

437 Margaret Ann Linehan 
439 John J. Linehan 

441 Timothy P. Linehan 

449 Henry F. Linehan . 

451 Isaac J. Tetrault 

452 Wm. P. Chandler (2d) 
454 Adrian H. Hoyt, M. D. 
456 Robert L. Harris 

458 Almon G. Harris 

460 Hon. John Kimball 

461 Oliver J. Fifield 

465 Capt. Henry H. Ayer 

467 Squire Farrand 

469 George S. Locke 

474 Farwell P. Holden . 

476 John C. Farrand 

477 George S. Morrill 
479 John McLaughlin 
481 Healey Morse . 

48 1 George A. Morse 

482 Harley G. Morse 
482 J. Frank Kuss 

4^2 Frederick J. Gage . 

482 Luther R. Harvey . 

483 The Prescott Brothers 

484 John W. Prescott . 

485 Edwin B. Prescott . 

486 Lester W. Prescott . 
486 Leander C. Prescott 

486 Albert H. Drown 

487 Jere O'Halloran 

488 T. R. Dodge . 

4S8 Lawrence P. Gahagan 
488 



490 
493 
495 
497 

499 
501 

503 
509 
512 

5'3 
514 
514 

515 
516 

5'7 
5'9 
520 
522 

524 
526 
528 

530 
531 
533 
535 
538 
539 
541 
542 

543 
546 

547 
548 

550 
551 
552 
SS5 
554 
558 
560 

561 



459 - 90 




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BINDERY INC. |§| 

^ DEC 90 

\^Jh^ N. MANCHESTER, 
INDIANA 46962 




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